Klamath County, Ore. (Jan. 12, 2026)- On Friday, January 9, 2026, at 6:20 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 97, near milepost 228, in Klamath County.
The preliminary investigation indicated a Ford F-450, operated by Douglas Alan Fordyce (61) of Caldwell (ID), was stopped westbound on Silver Lake Road at the intersection with Highway 97. The Ford attempted to enter the highway and was struck by a southbound Freightliner commercial motor vehicle and trailer, operated by Sebastian Mercado Juarez (29) of Fresno (CA), causing a side impact collision.
The operator of the Ford (Fordyce) was declared deceased at the scene.
The operator of the Freightliner (S. Juarez) and passenger, Christian Mercado Juarez (31) of Fresno (CA), suffered reported minor injuries.
The highway was impacted for approximately two hours during the on-scene investigation.
OSP was assisted by Chiloquin Fire and Rescue, Chemult Rural Fire District, and ODOT.
OSP press release
That is not what happened at all. We were the ones following behind the semi truck and the ford was not stopped, they didn’t even make an attempt to stop and crashed into the semi!
Hopefully you made a statement to the investigating officers. This is a press release.