Fatal Crash - Highway 97 - Sherman County - 11/05/25

Correction: Operator of the International Harvester is last of Shepherd.

Sherman County, Ore. (Nov. 5, 2025)- On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at 5:35 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 97, near milepost 43, in Sherman County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a northbound Chevrolet Impala, operated by Eric Neal Barton (66) of Corvallis, crossed into the southbound lane and struck a southbound International Harvester commercial motor vehicle and trailer, operated by Preston Dejion Shepherd (35) of Hanford (CA), near the rear drive tires.

The operator of the Chevrolet (Barton) was declared deceased at the scene.

The operator of the International Harvester (Shepherd) was reportedly uninjured.

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

OSP was assisted by the Sherman County Sheriff's Office and ODOT.

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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.