A somber Friday morning took a tragic turn on Highway 82 in Wallowa County, where a head-on collision claimed the life of a local man and left another severely injured. The Oregon State Police reported to the scene of the accident near milepost 43 after receiving calls about the two-vehicle crash at approximately 7:22 a.m., on May 9, 2025.
The preliminary findings, as detailed by the OSP, suggest that 50-year-old Andrew Victor Singer of Wallowa, who was driving an eastbound Subaru Impreza, crossed over the center line and collided with a westbound Toyota Rav4, driven by Jeffrey Michael Stein, aged 38, from Elgin. The force of the impact left Mr. Singer with fatal injuries, resulting in his death at the scene of the accident.
Jeffrey Stein, the Toyota driver, sustained serious injuries from the collision and was promptly taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. While the extent of his injuries has not been fully disclosed, the gravity of the crash underscored the critical nature of the impact.
Following the incident, Highway 82 experienced significant disruption, as the investigative work and emergency response activities extended for around six hours. The Wallowa County Sheriff's Office, Wallowa Fire, and ODOT personnel were also at the site, assisting the State Police. Meanwhile, the investigation into the specifics of what led to this heartbreaking crash remained ongoing, with no immediate answers available.
