Fatal Crash - Highway 38 - Douglas County - 12/11/25

Douglas County, Ore. (Dec. 11, 2025)- On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 5:20 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a three-vehicle crash on Highway 38, near milepost 22, in Douglas County.

The preliminary investigation indicated an eastbound Buick Enclave, operated by David Michael Lawson (48) of Elkton, entered the westbound lane for unknown reasons and struck a westbound Freightliner commercial motor vehicle and trailer, operated by Kevin Morgan Leiser (65) of Vancouver (WA). The collision caused the Buick Enclave to spin uncontrollably in the roadway, where it was struck by a westbound Buick LaCrosse, operated by Krystal Richelle Jacks (53) of Elkton, before rolling and coming to rest on its side.

The operator of the Buick Enclave (Lawson) was declared deceased at the scene.

The operator of the Freightliner (Leiser) suffered reported minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital.

The operator of the Buick LaCrosse (Jacks) was reportedly uninjured.

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

OSP was assisted by Scottsburg Fire 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.