FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 

DATE:  July 7, 2023

CONTACT:     Salem Police Communications Office | spdmedia@cityofsalem.net

Salem, Ore. — Salem Police officers and emergency response crews were called to the scene of a single-vehicle crash in the 6700 block of Fairway AV SE at approximately 5:40 a.m. today.

Arriving officers located a pick-up truck on its top in the embankment adjacent to the roadway with a woman inside as the sole occupant. The victim, 42-year-old Taliah Charese Gilchrist, was found deceased from injuries suffered in the crash.

The preliminary investigation by the Traffic Team determined Gilchrist was driving northbound on Fairway AV and was unable to maintain control of the truck. The vehicle traveled across a sidewalk, through a landscaped area, before reentering the roadway and ultimately rolling down a short embankment.

The area was closed to through traffic for approximately four hours for the scene investigation.

The case remains an active investigation, and no further information will be released.

This morning’s incident is the Traffic Team’s seventh fatal collision investigation for 2023 which have resulted in eight deaths.

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