A 77-year-old Portland man died and eight other people were injured Friday evening when his car crossed into oncoming traffic on Highway 26 in Clatsop County, setting off a five-vehicle pileup that shut down the highway for hours. Henry Herbert Greenwood was pronounced dead at the scene after his eastbound Honda Fit crossed into the westbound lane near milepost 24 and slammed head-on into a Toyota Tacoma pickup.
The crash happened around 5:15 p.m. Friday, according to KPTV, which reported that Oregon State Police say Greenwood crossed into the westbound lane for unknown reasons. A passenger riding in Greenwood's Honda Fit was flown to a nearby hospital with serious injuries, as was Greenwood himself before he was pronounced dead upon arrival, per the station's report. The Toyota Tacoma driver, identified elsewhere as 30-year-old Samantha Reanne Martindale of Molalla, and four passengers in her truck were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from minor to serious.
A Chain Reaction Across Five Vehicles
The wreck didn't stop with the head-on collision. The Honda Fit also sideswiped a Tesla Model S driven by 56-year-old Tomislave Lakovic of Portland, according to Tillamook County Pioneer, which published the full names and hometowns of everyone involved based on the Oregon State Police release. A Volkswagen Golf driven by 35-year-old Brandon J. Troost of Portland tried to avoid the developing wreck but was then rear-ended by a Ford F-350 pickup driven by 51-year-old Scott Michael Harrington of Hillsboro. The Volkswagen's driver and passenger suffered only minor injuries and were not hospitalized, the outlet reported.
In total, the crash killed one person and injured eight others, according to Oregon State Police. Highway 26 was closed for about five hours near milepost 24 while troopers investigated, the same source noted. Reaching the remote stretch of highway required a substantial response: Medix Ambulance Service, Hamlet Rural Fire Protection District, Banks Fire District, Elsie Vinemaple Rural Fire Protection District, and Life Flight helicopters all assisted state police at the scene, per the Tillamook County Pioneer's account.
A Highway With a History of Centerline Crossings
Friday's wreck happened at a location with a documented history of serious crashes. In March 2022, Oregon State Police responded to a three-vehicle collision at the same spot near milepost 24 after a westbound sedan crossed the centerline and struck a loaded log truck head-on, according to a report shared on Fox 12 Oregon's Facebook page. That pattern has continued elsewhere on the corridor: in June 2026, a single-vehicle fatal crash near milepost 7.5 in Clatsop County occurred when an eastbound driver crossed into the westbound lane and struck a utility pole, as reported by the Seaside Signal. In May 2025, a fatal collision near milepost 16 killed a local driver and injured a child when a pickup truck crossed the center line into oncoming traffic, as Hoodline previously reported.
Statewide, roadway departures including centerline crossovers account for roughly 47 percent of all fatal traffic crashes, according to Oregon Department of Transportation safety analysis. Highway 26's long-term crash record backs that up: historical ODOT data identifies the highway as the third-deadliest roadway in Clatsop County, behind Highway 101 and Highway 30, with excessive speed and centerline crossovers cited as primary factors, per the Seaside Signal. Clatsop County recorded 508 traffic injury victims in 2024, with nearly 70 percent of those injuries occurring on the county's three main thoroughfares — Highway 101, Highway 26, and Highway 30 — according to The Daily Astorian.
Safety Fixes Collide With a Budget Crunch
Local officials trying to address the danger face a steep financial obstacle. ODOT is facing an estimated $200 million funding shortfall for the 2027–2029 budget cycle, including $79.8 million in maintenance cuts that officials say hinder planned safety improvements like rumble strips, road widening, and guardrails, the Daily Astorian reported. The stakes of inaction are already playing out in court: in June, a Washington family filed a $111 million lawsuit against ODOT and other entities over a fatal 2025 head-on crash on Highway 26 in Clatsop County, according to a report from KVAL.
Investigators have not said what caused Greenwood's Honda Fit to cross into oncoming traffic, and it remains unclear whether mechanical failure, a medical emergency, or distraction played a role. Friday's crash adds to a string of serious wrecks Hoodline has tracked along the corridor this year, including a Sandy motorcyclist critically hurt in early August and a fatal pileup in June that killed a Portland woman. As Oregon State Police continue investigating the Clatsop County crash, the highway's crash history and the state's strained maintenance budget both remain part of the backdrop for the corridor's recurring toll.
