Fatal Crash - Highway 201 - Malheur County - 11/05/25

Malheur County, Ore. (Nov. 5, 2025)- On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at 11:17 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Hwy 201, near milepost 17, in Malheur County.

The preliminary investigation indicated northbound Pontiac G5, operated by Phillip Earl Kinstrand (70) of Vale, entered the southbound lane for unknown reasons and struck the trailer of a southbound Freightliner commercial motor vehicle, operated by Zachary Dean Piper (46) of Fruitland (ID).

The operator of the Pontiac (Kinstrand) was declared deceased at the scene. A passenger in the Pontiac, Kayla Diane Harlan (35) of Ontario, was seriously injured and transported to an area hospital.

The operator of the Freightliner was reportedly uninjured.

The highway was impacted for approximately two hours during the on-scene investigation. 

OSP was assisted by the Ontario Police Department and Ontario Fire Department.

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About the Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) 
The Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) is a specialized unit responsible for investigating fatal and critical injury collisions on Oregon’s highways. The team provides expertise in the documentation, investigation, and analysis of complex motor vehicle crashes and crime scenes. They receive specialized training in the use of advanced measuring techniques and small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for on-scene investigations. The CRU team includes ACTAR accredited collision reconstructionists and technical collision investigators deployed across the state.