Oregon State Police is requesting any witnesses to the fatal crash that occurred on Highway 97, near milepost 101, in Jefferson County on January 10, 2026, between 11:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.. Witnesses are asked to contact investigators to provide any information related to the incident. The pedestrian, who is deceased, was associated with a gray or aluminum Dodge Grand Caravan that was parked at the crash scene. The vehicle involved in the crash was a silver Ford Explorer. Investigators are looking for any information related to the vehicles prior to and at the time of the crash.
Anyone with information is asked to contact OSP’s Northern Command Dispatch Center at 800-442-0776 or by dialing *OSP (*677) from a mobile phone. Please reference case number SP26-010591.
On Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 11:43 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian crash on Highway 97, near milepost 101, in Jefferson County. The preliminary investigation indicated a Ford Explorer was on the shoulder of the roadway and began to merge into the northbound lanes when it struck a pedestrian, 38-year-old Jared Elijah Cooper of Madras, while reentering the highway. Cooper was declared deceased at the scene.
The operator of the Ford was reportedly uninjured.
The highway was impacted for approximately five hours during the on-scene investigation. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
OSP was assisted by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and ODOT.