Two Bandon residents died and two people were injured Friday in a two-vehicle crash south of town on U.S. Highway 101 near milepost 279.
At about 3:35 p.m., a 2005 Toyota Tacoma pickup was southbound on the highway when the driver of a northbound 2007 Ford Focus apparently lost control of the car. It went onto the northbound shoulder then slid sideways into the southbound lane, colliding with the Toyota, according to an Oregon State Police press release.
The driver of the Focus, Dana Jacobo, 45, of Bandon died at the scene. The driver of the pickup, Pete Bionda, 65, also of Bandon was taken to Bay Area Hospital, where he died of his injuries that evening.
Bionda’s passengers, Melanie Swain, 38, and Madison Swain, 10, both of Bandon, were taken to Bay Area Hospital where they were treated and released with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
All occupants in both vehicles were wearing seat belts, and traffic in both lanes was blocked for about two hours.
OSP was assisted by the Coos County Crash Team, Coos County Sheriff’s deputies, the Bandon Rural Fire Department, the Coos County Medical Examiner, the Oregon Department of Transportation, Bandon Police, Coos Bay Police and Mast Bros. Towing, according to the release.
Bionda was married to the former Becky Sabin, a longtime employee of Sterling Savings Bank. His passengers were his daughter, Melanie, and granddaughter, Madison.
Jacobo’s son, Tyler, recently completed the eighth-grade at Harbor Lights Middle School.
Services planned
A memorial service for Dana Jacobo is planned for 3 p.m. today (Thursday, Aug. 14) at the Bandon Chapel of Amling-Schroeder Funeral Service, 125 8th St. Southwest.
A memorial service for Pete Bionda is planned for Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 11th Street and Jackson Avenue Southwest. Time to be announced.
We want to give many thanks to the man who first arrived at the scene of this tragic accident. He called 911 & let us use his cell phone to call our family. We could not find our phones after the accident. Thank you to the 2 kind ladies that helped my daughter & let her sit in their car until an ambulance arrived. Also, thanks to everyone else who had stopped & helped us. It was very much appreciated. I hope that I can return this favor to someone else one day, but the story have a happier ending. I'm sorry that I did not put this put this in sooner.
Dad, This was such a traggic day that we will never forget, something that should have never happened!!! A big piece of me is now gone. I will miss your smiling face on my cell phone when you called me. A day will not go by that I will not think of you and remember what a great father that you were. You loved life so much and everyone loved you. How could they not.
Melissa Melanie Jessicawrote on Aug 14, 2008 5:01 PM:
Pete was our dad & he was a wonderful, amazing person. He will be missed tremendously!! It was a sad day when our mom passed away 2 years ago & now with our dad gone, there is a huge emptiness in our lives.
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