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News Release

Fatal Crash – Douglas County – Interstate 5 - 04/07/26

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore. (7 April 2026) – On Monday, April 6, 2026, at 3 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on Interstate 5 near milepost 90 in Douglas County.

 

The preliminary investigation indicated a white Freightliner commercial motor vehicle hauling a loaded trailer, operated by Brenden Larry Christensen (61) of San Diego (CA), had stalled on an uphill grade in the outside lane while traveling northbound on I-5 near Canyonville. The stalled Freightliner was struck by a maroon Honda CRV, operated by Davin Jack Smith (18) of El Sobrante (CA), causing the Honda and cargo in the Freightliner to catch fire. The CMV had stalled several times prior to the collision while climbing the grade.

 

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

 

Honda passengers, Lawrence Wayne Smith, Jr. (60) and Annika Jace Smith (18), both of El Sobrante (CA), were transported by air ambulance to area hospitals with serious injuries.

 

Honda passenger, Ivan Amadeo Gonzalez (19) of Hercules (CA) was transported to an area hospital by ground ambulance with reported minor injuries.

 

The operator and two passengers in the Honda (D. Smith, L. Smith Jr., and A. Smith) are a father and twin children. The third passenger, Gonzalez, is a family friend.

 

The operator of the Freightliner (Christensen) was not injured. Impairment is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash and Christensen was arrested for DUII and manslaughter.

 

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


OSP was assisted by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Canyonville Fire Department, Glendale Valley Fire Department, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

 

# # #

 

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.

Fatal Crash – Douglas County – Interstate 5 - 04/07/26

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore. (7 April 2026) – On Monday, April 6, 2026, at 3 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on Interstate 5 near milepost 90 in Douglas County.

 

The preliminary investigation indicated a white Freightliner commercial motor vehicle hauling a loaded trailer, operated by Brenden Larry Christensen (61) of San Diego (CA), had stalled on an uphill grade in the outside lane while traveling northbound on I-5 near Canyonville. The stalled Freightliner was struck by a maroon Honda CRV, operated by Davin Jack Smith (18) of El Sobrante (CA), causing the Honda and cargo in the Freightliner to catch fire. The CMV had stalled several times prior to the collision while climbing the grade.

 

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

 

Honda passengers, Lawrence Wayne Smith, Jr. (60) and Annika Jace Smith (18), both of El Sobrante (CA), were transported by air ambulance to area hospitals with serious injuries.

 

Honda passenger, Ivan Amadeo Gonzalez (19) of Hercules (CA) was transported to an area hospital by ground ambulance with reported minor injuries.

 

The operator and two passengers in the Honda (D. Smith, L. Smith Jr., and A. Smith) are a father and twin children. The third passenger, Gonzalez, is a family friend.

 

The operator of the Freightliner (Christensen) was not injured. Impairment is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash and Christensen was arrested for DUII and manslaughter.

 

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


OSP was assisted by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Canyonville Fire Department, Glendale Valley Fire Department, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

 

# # #

 

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.