Fatal Crash – Highway 97 – Klamath County - 05/18/26

KLAMATH COUNTY, Ore. (18 May 2026) – On Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 4:14 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian fatal crash on Highway 97 near milepost 264 in Klamath County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a white Freightliner commercial motor vehicle, operated by Shawn Christopher Kunze (43) of Yreka (CA), was traveling southbound on Highway 97 near Klamath Falls when it struck a pedestrian in the roadway. The pedestrian, Modoc Shadley (18) of Klamath Falls, is reported to have been wearing dark clothing and walking in the southbound travel lane for an unknown reason.

The pedestrian (Shadley) was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The operator of the commercial motor vehicle (Kunze) was transported to an area hospital for evaluation.

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

OSP was assisted by the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, Klamath Falls Police Department, 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.