Fatal Crash - Highway 97 - Klamath County - 12/17/25

Klamath County, Ore. (Dec. 17, 2025)- On Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 6:40 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 97, near milepost 255, in Klamath County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a southbound Chevrolet Silverado 2500, operated by Gordon Travis Gilmer (37) of Sacramento (CA), lost control, entered the northbound lane, and struck a Toyota Hilux, operated by Triston Charles Morrow (26) of Chiloquin, head-on.

The operator of the Toyota (Morrow) was declared deceased at the scene.

The operator of the Chevrolet (Gilmer) and passenger, Christian Octavio Rodriguez (28) of Rosamond (CA), suffered reported minor injuries. A second passenger of the Chevrolet, James Devon Cozart Jr. (19) of Rancho Cordova (CA) was reportedly uninjured.

The highway was impacted for approximately one hour during the on-scene investigation. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

OSP was assisted by Chiloquin Fire and ODOT.

# # #

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.