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On September 15, 2022, about 7:45 pm Yamhill County Sheriff’s Deputies were notified of a two-vehicle head-on style motor vehicle crash on NE Kuehne Road near NE Kinney Road east of Carlton. Deputies responded along with personnel from Carlton Fire Department and McMinnville Fire Department. Carlton Police Department and Yamhill Police Department also responded to the scene to assist.
The two involved vehicles, a blue Subaru Impreza and a red Dodge Ram 2500, were both still in the roadway with significant damage. The Impreza had a small fire in the engine compartment which was extinguished quickly. A large malamute dog had been ejected from the Subaru and had significant injuries as well. Deputies received assistance from a neighbor in the area who volunteered to drive the dog to the Newberg Veterinary Hospital.
The driver of the blue Subaru Impreza identified as Dale Winterfield, age 33 of Beaverton, OR was taken via Life Flight helicopter to a Portland area trauma hospital where he is listed in critical condition.
The driver of the red Dodge Ram 2500 identified as David Martinez, age 31 of Newberg, OR went to a local area hospital via private vehicle for minor injuries.
Evidence at the scene indicated the operator of the blue Subaru, Dale Winterfield, was impaired by alcohol and the crash was caused when Mr. Winterfield failed to maintain his lane and crossed into the opposing lane. Dash camera footage from Mr. Martinez’ vehicle was recovered at the scene, which clearly shows the Subaru come into the opposing lane and strike Mr. Martinez’s vehicle head-on. Speed is also believed to be a contributing factor in the crash. The attached image is from Mr. Martinez’s dash camera just moments prior to the crash.
Due to the seriousness of Mr. Winterfield’s injuries the Yamhill County Multi-Agency Traffic Team (MATT) was activated. Team members from the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, and Newberg-Dundee Police Department responded to assist. A Yamhill County Sheriff’s Deputy who is assigned to DUII Enforcement funded by a grant through the Oregon Department of Transportation responded to the Portland area trauma hospital and served a search warrant to preserve evidence related to the crime of DUII. Mr. Winterfield’s preliminary blood alcohol content level was .24.
There was another serious motor vehicle crash on September 15, 2022, on Hwy 18 in Yamhill County which resulted in two fatalities. The Oregon State Police is the investigating agency for that crash.
Also on September 15, 2022, between the time of the first serious crash on Hwy 18 and this serious crash on NE Kuehne Road, at about 5:00 pm there was a single vehicle roll-over crash on Hwy 99 near milepost 29 outside Dayton, OR. Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office responded to investigate this crash as Oregon State Police were still investigating the previous crash on Hwy 18. The sole occupant and driver of the involved vehicle, Donald Crank III age 47 of McMinnville, OR was uninjured, and was arrested by Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office DUII Enforcement Deputy David Mills for DUII. Mr. Crank’s blood alcohol content was .18.
As we head into this weekend, please, do not drive impaired. The volume of impaired drivers and impaired driving crashes is unacceptable. There is simply no reason to drive impaired.