MCKENZIE BRIDGE, Oregon (STPNS) -- SANTIAM PASS: A commercial truck driver was arrested by Oregon State Police (OSP) Monday night in connection with an injury hit-and-run crash on Highway 20 in the Santiam Pass area. Over two hours after the reported crash, police found the suspect near Salem on Highway 22.

The accident occurred on January 28th at approximately 9:20 p.m. It involved a commercial truck and semi-trailer that was westbound near milepost 78 when the semi-trailer, which didn’t have required chains, slid sideways on the snow-covered roadway into the eastbound lane. There it collided with a 2004 Ford Focus with two occupants. A witness said the semi-trailer noticeably shook upon impact. The truck and semi-trailer stopped momentarily on the westbound side of the highway but then the driver headed westbound without remaining at the scene - leaving behind vehicle debris evidence.



OSP, the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department, Black Butte Ranch Fire and Police departments, and ODOT responded to the scene. The Ford’s two occupants were transported by ambulance to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend for treatment of minor injuries. They were identified as driver Hermilo Estrada II, 41, and passenger Holly Hamilton, 49, both from Bend.

Around midnight, an OSP trooper spotted a truck and semi-trailer westbound on Highway 22 near Salem and stopped it. The subsequent investigation led to the arrest of driver Alvin James Ellis, 59, from Beaverton. Ellis was lodged in the Marion County Jail for Reckless Driving and Misdemeanor Failure to Perform Duties of Driver Involved in Injury Crash.