Fatal Crash – Highway 126 – Deschutes County - 06/23/26

DESCHUTES COUNTY, Ore. (23 June 2026) – On Friday, June 19, 2026, at 12:05 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 126 near milepost 103.5 in Deschutes County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a black GMC Sierra pulling a tandem axle dump trailer, operated by Luis Alberto Santos Milan (26) of Bend, was traveling westbound on Highway 126 near Redmond when it attempted to avoid slowing traffic and crossed into the eastbound travel lane. An eastbound gray Honda Accord, operated by Christopher Richard Pettit (58) of Gilchrist, collided head-on with the dump trailer in the eastbound travel lane.   

A passenger in the Honda, Michelle Renee Pettit (59) of Gilchrist, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The operator of the Honda (Christopher Pettit) was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries.

The operator of the GMC (Santos Milan) was reportedly not injured. Santos Milan remained on-scene and cooperated with the investigation.

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

OSP was assisted by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, local fire and EMS, 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.