Fatal Crash – Highway 101 – Coos County - 02/19/26

COOS COUNTY, Ore. (19 February 2026) – On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at 6:09 a.m., the Oregon State Police responded to a three-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 101 near milepost 223 in Coos County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a white Ford F-150 towing a flatbed trailer, operated by Matthew Rafael Gonzalez (30) of St. George, Utah, was traveling northbound on Hwy. 101 near Lakeside when it struck black ice. The operator lost control, struck the guardrail, crossed into the southbound lane, and collided with a tan Chevy Tracker operated by James Ervin Bramhall (64) of Lakeside. A blue Dodge 1500 pickup, operated by John Paul Burgmeier (24) of Coos Bay, then rear-ended the flatbed, also due to black ice on the roadway.

The operator of the Chevy Tracker (Bramhall) was declared deceased at the scene.

The operator of the Ford F-150 (Gonzalez) had reported minor injuries.

The operator of the Dodge 1500 (Burgmeier) was reportedly not injured.

The highway was impacted for approximately 3.5 hours during the on-scene investigation.

OSP was assisted by the Lakeside Fire Department, Houser Fire Department, Winchester Bay Fire Department, Lower Umpqua Ambulance, 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.