Second Luther Pass crash claims Valley Springs man

A second fatality involving a California man was reported Thursday from a two-car, head-on collision on the south side of Luther Pass that occurred Wednesday.

Norman Bosche, 75, of Valley Springs, died in the intensive care unit of Washoe Medical Center that evening, Jim Link reported from the Washoe County Coroner's Office.

An autopsy was being performed Thursday.

Bosche's death comes a day after the serious accident that closed Highway 89 for a few hours also claimed the life of Bertha Oster, 41, an elementary school teacher and mother from Belgrade, Mont.

"It's hard. She was a sweetheart. I would call her a children's mother," Oster's father Tom Aline of Great Falls, Mont., said from his home Thursday. "She was like a mother hen to those (students). They'll really miss her."

Aline said his daughter loved to do yardwork and perform crafts. A service is being planned for the Montana woman.

Bosche was the driver of the green Dodge Caravan heading north on Highway 89, and Bertha Oster was a passenger. Others included Evangeline Bosche, 78, and Keith Oster, 49, who were transported to Barton Memorial Hospital. Ruth Oster, 78, was taken by air ambulance to and remains in Washoe Medical Center.

All the passengers except Bosche live in Belgrade.

The whereabouts of the driver of the white Ford van heading south is unknown at this time.

Keith Wyatt, 26, of Gardnerville apparently crossed into the family's driving lane when the two vehicles collided, the California Highway Patrol reported.