A tragic crash on Interstate 84 near Ladd Canyon East of LaGrande continues to be investigated by the Oregon State Patrol.

Thursday evening just before 7pm, Todd M. Schroeder of Milton-Freewater was Eastbound on I-84 preparing to enter the Ladd Canyon area, when his Ford Excursion lost control.  He was towing a toy-hauler type trailer carrying several dirt bikes.

The Excursion and the trailer rolled over into the center median, and crashed.  Besides Todd Schroeder, one other adult and three juveniles were on board. 73-year-old Jerry M. Schroeder, also of Milton-Freewater sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to Emmanuel Hospital in Portland.

The back seat center passener, 14-year-old Fisher Schroeder, also of Milton-Freewater, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.  Todd Schroeder and the two other teens suffered minor injuries and were treated at Grande Ronde Hospital in LaGrande, OR.

The Oregon State Patrol was assisted by units from the Island City Rural Fire Department, Oregon Department of Transportation, LaGrande and North Powder, Oregon ambulance units.

The State Patrol says "information about seat belt use is still being investigated."  They did not comment further, but the fact that one of the juveniles was ejected could mean they were not restrained properly in the vehicle.

Oregon fatal crash kills 14-year-old
Oregon fatal crash kills 14-year-old (Oregon State Patrol)
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