Fatal Crash - Highway 20 - Malheur County - 01/23/26

Malheur County, Ore. (Jan. 23, 2026)- On Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 9:42 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to a single-vehicle crash on Highway 20, near milepost 228, in Malheur County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a westbound Hyundai Kona, operated by Mark Daniel Waggoner (61) of Meridian (ID), left the roadway for unknown reasons, rolled, and became submerged in the Malheur River.

The operator of the vehicle (Waggoner) was declared deceased at the scene.

The highway was not impacted during the on-scene investigation. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

OSP was assisted by the Vale Fire Department 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.