Fatal Crash – Highway 30 – Clatsop County - 08/19/26

CLATSOP COUNTY, Ore. (19 AUGUST 2026) – On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 12:40 p.m., the Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 30 near milepost 80 in Clatsop County approximately 16 miles east of Astoria. 

The preliminary investigation indicated that a gray Ford F-350 pickup, operated by Roger Dale McGilvey (73) of Ocean Park, Washington, was eastbound on Highway 30 when it rear-ended a tan Chevrolet Malibu sedan operated by Benny Roy Parker (86) of Astoria, which was stopped and waiting to turn onto Valley Creek Lane from Highway 30. The Malibu was pushed into the westbound lane, where it was struck by a westbound silver Honda Accord operated by Karl Edward Groenke (43) of Ocean Park, Washington.  

The operator of the Chevrolet (Parker) was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced deceased at the scene. 

The operator of the Ford (McGilvey) and the operator of the Honda (Groenke) sustained serious injuries and were transported to a local hospital.

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

OSP was assisted by the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office, Knappa Fire Department, Astoria Fire Department, 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.