A tragic collision on Highway 140 in Klamath County has left one teenager dead and several others shaken. According to the Oregon State Police, on Saturday, May 17, 2025, Forrest Clinton George Fairchild, a 40-year-old resident of Klamath Falls, was driving his Dodge Durango eastbound when he encountered a disabled Honda CR-V partially in his lane, just near milepost 1.
The incident, which occurred at 2:54 p.m., turned fatal when the Dodge struck the Honda, which was being assessed by Kaylee Rae Volpe, an 18-year-old from Klamath Falls, and a 17-year-old male attempting to diagnose the vehicle's issues. The impact of the collision propelled the male juvenile over the bridge barrier and into the Klamath River below. Fairchild, the driver of the Dodge, suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
While the operator of the Honda, Ms. Volpe, was reported to have escaped injury, the situation for her juvenile companion proved to be dire. After a search, the young man was recovered from the river but tragically declared deceased. His name has not been released pending family notification.
The crash, which snarled traffic for about four hours as investigators worked the scene, drew a coordinated response from multiple agencies, including the Klamath County Sheriff's Office, Klamath County Fire Districts #1 and #4, Klamath County Dive Rescue, and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
