Fatal Crash – Highway 26 – Clatsop County - 06/08/26

CLATSOP COUNTY, Ore. (8 June 2026) – On Friday, June 5, 2026, at 10:32 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to a single-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 26 near milepost 7.5 in Clatsop County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a white Nissan Kicks, operated by Brittany Ann Estella Lute (30) of Long Beach (WA), was traveling eastbound on Hwy. 26 near Hamlet when it crossed into the westbound lane and struck a utility pole on the westbound shoulder.

The operator of the Nissan (Lute) was declared deceased at the scene. Lute is not believed to have been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

The highway was impacted for approximately 1.5 hours during the on-scene investigation.

Impairment is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash.

OSP was assisted by the Cannon Beach Fire Department, the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office, Medix Ambulance, 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.