A routine late-morning drive on Highway 39 turned deadly Thursday when 71-year-old Bonanza resident Lenayah King was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Klamath County, authorities said. The collision happened just after 11:15 a.m. near milepost 39 and left three other people, including two children, with minor injuries that required hospital treatment. Troopers shut down the highway while firefighters, medics and investigators worked the scene and documented the wreckage.
How Investigators Say It Happened
According to KOIN, King was driving a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser and tried to make a left turn onto Highway 39 to head north when her vehicle failed to yield to southbound traffic and struck a white Kia Sedona near the intersection with Highway 140. The Kia's driver was transported to a hospital with minor injuries, and two child passengers were also treated for minor wounds, KOIN reported. The crash remains under investigation, the outlet said.
Investigation And Response
The Oregon State Police, which shares its public safety updates through FlashAlert, said troopers and local agencies responded to the scene and that the agency's Collision Reconstruction Unit typically handles fatal and serious-injury crashes on state highways. Oregon State Police reported that investigators were on site collecting evidence and the roadway was reopened after emergency work wrapped up. A formal determination of the cause has not yet been released.
Local Crash Context
OR-39 has been the site of several serious collisions in recent months. In mid-May, a separate three-vehicle crash near milepost 4 killed a 75-year-old man. State crash records from the Oregon Department of Transportation show that small communities such as Bonanza typically see only a handful of reported crashes each year, figures that help guide how agencies prioritize safety work on rural corridors.
Officials did not immediately release further details about the crash or information about King's next of kin. The case remains under investigation by state troopers, who said additional information will be released when it becomes available.
