Teen Dies When Elk Crushes Car

Wednesday, August 23rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

GASTON, Ore. (AP) â€” A boy celebrating his 16th birthday was killed when a passing truck struck a 1,500-pound elk, sending the animal crashing onto a car in which he was a passenger

The elk hit the hood on the driver's side of 18-year-old Cable Hogue's car and shattered the window, then smashed the roof on the passenger side where Brandon Tuning was sitting.

Eugene Jacobus, the county medical examiner, said Tuning died of head and neck injuries. Alcohol wasn't a factor in the crash, Jacobus said.

The accident occurred Tuesday, as Tuning, Hogue, and a third friend, Joshua James Powell, 16, were returning to Tuning's home after driving to get ice cream.

Hogue was treated for a concussion and released. Powell was in critical condition with head injuries and facial fractures.

Michael Lloyd Johnson, 33, the driver of the pickup that hit the elk, was not injured. The animal was found dead about 50 feet away.

``Our whole town is basically walking around in shock,'' said Lyndsay Schlegel, a classmate of Tuning.