Fatal Crash – Highway 97 – Sherman County - 01/07/26

SHERMAN COUNTY, Ore. (7 Jan. 2025) – On Monday, January 5, 2026, at 4:02 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 97 near milepost 31 in Sherman County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a red Honda HRV, operated by Kenneth Frank MacDonald (64) of Bradenton (FL), was traveling northbound on Hwy. 97 near Grass Valley when it left the lane of travel of an unknown reason. The Honda collided head-on with a southbound white Freightliner pulling a semi-trailer, operated by Maynor Farid Mendieta Saravia (32) of Willows (CA).   
 

The operator of the Honda (MacDonald) was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The operator of the Freightliner (Mendieta Saravia) was not injured.

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

OSP was assisted by the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office, South Sherman Fire and Rescue, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
 

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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 documenting, investigating, and analyzing complex motor vehicle crashes and crime scenes. They receive specialized training in using 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.