August 25, 2023 4:20 a.m.

A former Roseburg resident died in a two-vehicle accident in Linn County on Wednesday morning.

A report from Oregon State Police said just after 8:50 a.m. troopers responded to the wreck on Highway Twenty near milepost nineteen in the Sweet Home area. A preliminary investigation indicated that a sedan operated by thirty-year old Joel Applebaum of Sweet Home was traveling eastbound when it left its lane of travel and entered the westbound lane. The vehicle struck a westbound sedan, driven by seventy-year old Joy Backus, also of Sweet Home, head-on.

Both drivers were pronounced deceased at the scene. The highway was impacted for approximately three hours during the on-scene investigation. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Applebaum lived in Roseburg prior to moving to Sweet Home several years ago.