Friends and neighbors of a Troutdale family of four were rattled by their sudden deaths after they were killed in a fiery head-on collision Thursday.
Oregon State Police said that at around 7:30 p.m., a pickup truck traveling northbound crossed the center line, sideswiped a semi-truck going southbound, and crashed head-on into the family’s SUV.
The SUV caught flames killing 57-year-old Gary Rutledge, 53-year-old Michelle Jean Windsor Rutledge, 17-year-old Ryan Rutledge, and 15-year-old Kate Rutledge.
The Rutledges were a loving family respected in the neighborhood where they had lived for more than a decade.
“Our kids grew up together,” neighbor Cynthia Jacobsen said. “They’d wait at the bus stop together.”
“They’ve been amazing neighbors and will be so missed.”
Gary and Michelle were also great parents to their two teen children. The family was “central” to the community, Mark Jacobsen said.
“It’s a loss. It’s a loss for us, and it’s a loss for a lot of the neighbors. This neighborhood is pretty devastated,” he said.
“It just shows you how precious life is. One second everything is great and the next everything is done.”
