Fatal Crash – Highway 86 – Baker County - 09/15/26

BAKER COUNTY, Ore. (15 Sept. 2026) – On Monday, September 14, 2026, at 9:44 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to a single-vehicle motorcycle crash on Highway 86 near milepost 31 in Baker County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a silver BMW motorcycle, operated by Lance H. Madden (55) of Loveland, Ohio, was traveling eastbound on Highway 86 near Richland when it failed to navigate a left-hand turn and entered the soft gravel shoulder. While attempting to correct back toward the roadway, the motorcycle flipped. The rider and motorcycle then traveled down an approximately 20‑foot embankment toward the river. Baker County Search and Rescue assisted with a rope rescue to recover the rider.

The operator of the BMW motorcycle (Madden) was transported by Life Flight to an area hospital with serious injuries. OSP was later notified that Madden died at the hospital.

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

OSP was assisted by the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, Baker County Search and Rescue, Richland Ambulance, 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.