Fatal Crash – Highway 39 – Klamath Falls - 05/15/26
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (15 May 2026) – On Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 4:33 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a three-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 39 near milepost 4 (South 6th Street) in Klamath Falls.
The preliminary investigation indicated a blue Jeep Grand Cherokee, operated by Sebastian Bufardeci Jr. (75) of Klamath Falls was traveling westbound on South 6th Street near Wiard Street in Klamath Falls when it veered into the turn lane for an unknown reason. The Jeep clipped the driver side of a westbound silver Chevrolet Silverado, operated by Benjamin Duval (45) of Klamath Falls. The Jeep then continued into the eastbound travel lane collided head-on with an eastbound white Toyota Tundra, operated by Alejandro Ruelas (33) of Klamath Falls.
The operator of the Jeep (Bufardeci) was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The operator of the Toyota (Ruelas) was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries.
The operator of the Chevrolet (Duval) was reportedly not injured.
The highway was impacted for approximately 3.5 hours during the on-scene investigation.
OSP was assisted by the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, Klamath County Fire District 1, 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.