Fatal Crash - Highway 20 - Harney County - 01/05/26

Harney County, Ore. (Jan. 5, 2026)- On Wednesday, December 31, 2026, at 5:37 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 20, near milepost 84, in Harney County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a westbound Honda Accord, operated by Christopher Emanuel Cortez Morales (25) of Terrebonne, lost control and entered the eastbound lane where it clipped an eastbound Audi A6, operated by Jennifer Tiffany Carey (53) of Bend. The collision caused the Honda to roll and eject the operator.

The operator of the Honda (Morales) was not wearing a seatbelt and was declared deceased at the scene.

The operator of the Audi (Carey) was reportedly uninjured.

The highway was impacted for approximately 1.5 hours during the on-scene investigation. Operator impairment is being considered as a primary factor of the the crash.

OSP was assisted by 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.