Police: Spokane man caused Oregon crash that killed 3

A Spokane man is accused of causing a crash that killed three people Monday on Highway 26 near the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Oregon.

Spokane resident Nathan Verhaeghe, 31, was driving his Chevy Malibu westbound on Highway 26 when he struck the back of a Toyota Matrix, pushing it into the eastbound lane where it hit an eastbound Chrysler van, according to the Oregon State Police.

Killed were the driver of the Matrix, 37-year-old Adam Clausen, and his passenger, 39-year-old Shannon O’Leary. A 4-year-old boy survived with minor injuries. The driver of the van, 34-year-old Robert Burke of Reno, Nevada, was also killed.

One of Burke’s passengers, 29-year-old Rachel Burke, was seriously injured. A 22-month-old child in the van had minor injuries.

Verhaeghe had minor injuries. Speed and “other contributing factors” are part of the OSP’s investigation, according to an OPS news release.