Fatal Crash – Highway 126W – Lane County - 09/03/26

LANE COUNTY, Ore. (3 September 2026) – On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at approximately 9:15 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a vehicle-versus-pedestrian crash on Highway 126W near milepost 48 in Lane County. 

The preliminary investigation indicated a silver Toyota Tacoma pickup, operated by Christian Michael McCawley (24) of Elmira, was traveling westbound on Highway 126W when it struck a pedestrian, later identified as Robert Bryan Richardson (52) of Veneta, who was walking westbound in the westbound lane of travel. This portion of roadway is unlit, and Richardson was wearing dark-colored clothing.

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

The driver of the Toyota (McCawley) was not injured. 

Highway 126W was impacted for approximately two hours during the on-scene investigation. 

OSP was assisted by Lane Fire Authority, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, 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.