
Ashton Tilton’s family says surgeons had to amputate his right leg and a medical team is battling to save the other one.
By DOUG BATES/Editor/The Herald — On a starlit summer night in the woods outside Oakridge, 18-year-old Ashton Tilton lay on the ground bleeding, his legs crushed, after pulling himself out of a window of his wrecked car.
Alone in the dark with no one nearby on the deserted mountain road, the young man — valedictorian of the Oakridge High School Class of 2021 — probably would have died except for the heroic efforts of two young friends, according to his family.
On that hot summer night of Saturday, Sept. 11, Ashton was soon to leave for Corvallis to attend Oregon State University, majoring in computer engineering, a family representative said.

Ashton Tilton gives the valedictory address at Oakridge High School’s commencement on June 12.
“He and his friends went to an all-ages concert in Oakridge that night and then decided to drive out to Hills Creek to look at the stars and do whatever teenagers do on summer nights,” said Janice Tysoe, Ashton’s step-grandmother.
“He was alone in his car, following two friends in another car along the road beside the reservoir,” she said. “Ash misjudged a corner, lost control and over-corrected. The righthand side of the car slammed into a guard rail, which ripped off the passenger side door and entered the car, crushing his legs.”
Despite his severe injuries, Ashton managed to pull himself out of the driver’s side window, Tysoe said. By then, the boy and girl in the other vehicle were nowhere near.
At some point, however, they realized Ashton was no longer behind them. They wondered why they hadn’t seen his headlights during the last stretch of dark, winding forest road, so they turned around and headed back the way they had come.
They found the wrecked car and their critically injured friend on the ground beside it. The actions they took next may have saved his life, said Tysoe.
They had cell phones, but there was no signal in the heavy woods southeast of Oakridge. So the boy leaped back in his vehicle and headed back toward town while the girl stayed with their grievously injured friend.
As soon as he reached an open area where he could get a cell phone signal, the boy, 18-year-old Voss Burton of Oakridge, called 911 for help. Moments later, when Oakridge EMS arrived, he led them to the accident scene.
Today, Sept. 27, Ashton is at PeaceHealth River Bend Hospital in Springfield, fighting to recover. Surgeons had to amputate his right leg and a medical team is battling to save the other one, Tysoe said.
He suffered other critical injuries as well, according to his mother, Robin Tysoe, an Oakridge Elementary School teacher.
“Ash is in better spirits and he continues to converse more,” Robin wrote on Sept. 26 on a GoFundMe.com page set up for the family by Carey Walter of Oakridge. “Yet, due to the brain injury, we have been asked to limit screen time and the use of his phone.
“He is capable of responding via text and clearly seems to be reading. Yet, he likes us to read to him—which is not an issue since this was always an activity that we had in place when he was younger.”
As of Sept. 27, the campaign had raised $39,476 toward its $50,000 goal.
“As strong as I think I am, I can’t tell you how much of a toll it has taken on me to watch my son go through this,” she wrote.
Janice Tysoe said that because of COVID-19 restrictions Robin could not be with her son while he was in the intensive care unit. As soon as it was possible, the hospital moved Ashton to its neurology center, where Robin could stay at his side. Only one family member at a time can be admitted to his room, however, so when others are visiting, Robin stays in an RV that one of her fellow teachers brought to the hospital.
“When news spread of her son’s accident, the entire district has rallied for this family,” Janice Tysoe said. “Everything from meal trains, additional time off from work, emotional support.”
“Ash was supposed to start college at OSU this fall,” she continued. “The whole family is overwhelmed with the community’s support. There’s so much negativity in the news today, we felt it important to share the good that came from a tragic accident.
“This small town has a lot of heart and they wear it proudly on their sleeves.”
To contribute, go online to the family’s GoFundMe page.
Herald Editor Doug Bates is a retired newspaper editor who lives in Oakridge.