Fatal Crash – Highway 204 – Union County - 10/27/26

UNION COUNTY, Ore. (27 Oct. 2026) - On Monday, October 26, 2026, at approximately 5:54 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 204 near milepost 36.5 in Union County.

The preliminary investigation indicated that an unloaded Kenworth log truck, operated by Scott Charles Caldwell (55), of Adams, was traveling westbound on Highway 204 near Elgin when it veered into the oncoming lane to avoid a deer. While attempting to veer back into the westbound lane, the log truck ended up sideways across the roadway and was struck by a fully loaded eastbound Kenworth log truck, operated by Curtis William Gammond (54), of Pendleton and caught fire.   

The operator of the first Kenworth log truck (Caldwell) was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The operator of the second Kenworth log truck (Gammond) was pronounced deceased at the scene.

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

OSP was assisted by the La Grande Fire Department, Elgin Rural Fire Department, 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.