On Friday, July 20, 2018, at about 4:32 p.m., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a report of a single vehicle crash involving a motorcycle near milepost 13 on State Route 3. (Joseph Canyon Viewpoint).
Preliminary investigation revealed that a bronze 2013 Harley-Davidson Tri Glide motorcycle, operated by a male driver and a female passenger, was traveling northbound behind another motorcycle as a group when the lead motorcycle began to slow down and turn into the Joseph Canyon Viewpoint. The driver of the Tri Glide steered around, lost control and overturned on the shoulder. The passenger suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene and the driver was transported by air ambulance to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center where he was later pronounced deceased.
Driver: Galen Joseph ROTTINGHAUS, age 79, of Oak Harbor, Washington
Passenger: Patricia Ann EVANS, age 77, of El Cajon, California
The northbound lane of State Route 3 near milepost 13 was closed for about five hours while the investigation was conducted. OSP was assisted at the scene by the Wallowa County Sheriff's Office, Enterprise Fire Department, Wallowa Memorial Hospital Ambulance, Life Flight, and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).