UPDATE: 1:03 p.m.

Oregon State Hospital superintendent Greg Roberts has issued the following statement about the news of Cary Fairchild's death:

"Cary worked at Oregon State Hospital for 25 years, and was known to all as a passionate advocate for the patients she served."

According to the state hospital, she was a mental health specialist who led treatment groups, including yoga, to help patients reduce anxiety and other symptoms.

Original Post:

The Oregon State Hospital employee who was critically injured in the same Interstate 5 crash that killed Dr. Steven Fritz in September has also died, Salem Hospital confirmed Saturday.

Cary Fairchild, 64, was carpooling to work with Fritz from Portland on Sept. 24 when Fritz's zebra-patterned Sentra collided head-on with a Ford Ranger pickup that crossed the center line.

The crash ultimately involved several vehicles and severely snarled I-5 traffic for several hours. Fritz was killed in the crash, while Fairchild was rushed to Salem Hospital with critical injuries.

In the weeks since, Fairchild has remained at Salem Hospital. Salem Health spokesman Mark Glyzewski confirmed on Saturday morning that Fairchild had died.

Glyzewski could not confirm exactly when Fairchild died.

But according to a memorial post on a website called CaringBridge.org, someone identifying himself as Jim Fairchild posted that Cary was taken off life support on 11 a.m. Friday.

"She is still with us but the end is near," the post read. "Please send Cary your prayers and well wishes for an easy transition."

Another post, also from Jim Fairchild, reported that Cary Fairchild had died as of early Saturday.

"She was the world's most wonderful woman and I am the world's luckiest man," he wrote in the post. "A memorial is being planned. It will not be immediate because we are all too lost."

According to Oregon State Police, who also reported Fairchild's death Saturday morning, the investigation is ongoing and no enforcement decisions have yet been made.

lfosmire@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6709 or follow at Twitter.com/fosmirel

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