COOS COUNTY, Ore. (Feb. 19, 2026) — A 64-year-old Lakeside man was killed Wednesday morning in a three-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 101 that authorities say was caused by black ice on the roadway, according to the Oregon State Police.
Troopers responded at 6:09 a.m. Feb. 18 to the crash near milepost 223 in Coos County, just north of Lakeside.
A preliminary investigation found that a white Ford F-150 towing a flatbed trailer, driven by Matthew Rafael Gonzalez, 30, of St. George, was traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 101 when it struck black ice. Police said Gonzalez lost control of the pickup, struck a guardrail, crossed into the southbound lane and collided with a tan Chevrolet Tracker driven by James Ervin Bramhall, 64, of Lakeside.
A third vehicle, a blue Dodge 1500 pickup driven by John Paul Burgmeier, 24, of Coos Bay, then rear-ended the flatbed trailer after also encountering black ice, authorities said.
Bramhall was declared dead at the scene.
Gonzalez reported minor injuries. Burgmeier was not injured, according to state police.
The highway was impacted for approximately 3 1/2 hours while investigators examined the scene and crews worked to clear the roadway.
State police were assisted by Lakeside, Houser and Winchester Bay fire departments, Lower Umpqua Ambulance and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
The crash was investigated by the Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit, a specialized team responsible for examining fatal and critical-injury crashes on Oregon highways. The unit includes accredited collision reconstructionists and technical investigators trained in advanced measuring techniques and the use of small unmanned aircraft systems to document complex crash scenes.
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