A Sunday drive on Highway 97 turned deadly for a Portland man when his car crossed into oncoming traffic and slammed into a semi truck in Klamath County. Authorities identified the victim as 48-year-old Mark Evan Simpson of Portland, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The mid-afternoon crash near milepost 220 choked traffic for hours along the busy corridor.
Crash details
According to KOIN, Oregon State Police said troopers were called around 3:45 p.m. to a two-vehicle collision near milepost 220. A preliminary OSP investigation found Simpson was driving a northbound black Kia Forte when he came upon the scene of an earlier three-vehicle non-injury crash, crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Volvo 760 commercial motor vehicle that had pulled onto the shoulder to avoid a disabled vehicle.
Scene response and road closures
Highway 97 was closed or heavily affected for about five hours while troopers and crash reconstruction teams worked the scene and cleared the wreckage. Per the Oregon State Police press feed on FlashAlert, OSP was assisted by the Chemult Rural Fire Protection District, Chiloquin Fire and Rescue and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Investigation status
The commercial driver, reported to be a resident of British Columbia, was not injured, according to KTVZ. Troopers say Simpson's Kia spun back across the northbound lanes after impact and came to rest against a tree off the highway shoulder. Investigators are continuing their preliminary work to determine what caused him to cross the center line.
Why this stretch matters
This portion of Highway 97 in Klamath County has seen a string of serious collisions in recent years, often tied to multi-vehicle pileups and rough winter conditions. Two Perish in Tragic Hwy 97 highlighted a November 2024 wreck that killed two people on a nearby milepost, underscoring how quickly crashes here can turn fatal and lock down this long rural stretch of highway.
