CANYONVILLE, Ore. (Apr. 7, 2026) — An 18-year-old California man was killed and three others were injured Monday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash involving a stalled commercial truck on Interstate 5 near Canyonville, according to Oregon State Police.
Troopers responded to the crash around 3 p.m. on April 6 near milepost 90. A preliminary investigation found that a white Freightliner commercial motor vehicle hauling a loaded trailer had stalled on an uphill grade in the northbound outside lane.
Investigators said the truck, driven by Brenden Larry Christensen, 61, of San Diego, had stalled multiple times while climbing the grade before it was struck by a maroon Honda CR-V driven by Davin Jack Smith, 18, of El Sobrante, California. The impact caused both the Honda and cargo from the truck to catch fire.
Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.
Three passengers in the Honda were injured. Lawrence Wayne Smith Jr., 60, and Annika Jace Smith, 18, both of El Sobrante, were transported by air ambulance to area hospitals with serious injuries. Ivan Amadeo Gonzalez, 19, of Hercules, California, was taken by ground ambulance with minor injuries. Authorities said the driver and two of the passengers are a father and his twin children, and the third passenger is a family friend.
Christensen was not injured. Police said impairment is believed to have been a contributing factor in the crash. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants and manslaughter.
The highway was impacted for approximately three hours as crews investigated the scene.
The Oregon State Police were assisted by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Canyonville Fire Department, Glendale Valley Fire Department, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
The crash remains under investigation by the Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit, a specialized team that investigates fatal and serious injury crashes using advanced forensic and mapping techniques.
All suspects are believed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law
Discover more from Medford Alert News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
