KLAMATH COUNTY, Ore. (Apr. 24, 2026) — A Portland man died Sunday afternoon in a head-on crash on Highway 97 in Klamath County, according to the Oregon State Police.
Troopers responded at about 3:48 p.m. April 12 to a two-vehicle crash near milepost 220.
A preliminary investigation found that a black Kia Forte, driven by Mark Evan Simpson, 48, of Portland, was traveling northbound when it entered the scene of a separate, three-vehicle non-injury crash. Authorities said the Kia crossed the center line, traveled through the southbound lane and collided head-on with a Volvo 760 commercial motor vehicle.
The Volvo, driven by Das Balbir, 59, of Richmond, British Columbia, had been pulling onto the shoulder in an attempt to avoid a disabled vehicle from the earlier crash.
Following the collision, the Kia spun back across the northbound lanes and came to rest against a tree off the shoulder, police said.
Simpson was declared dead at the scene. Balbir was not injured.
Highway 97 was impacted for about five hours as crews investigated the crash.
The Oregon State Police was assisted by the Chemult Rural Fire Protection District, Chiloquin Fire and Rescue, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
The agency’s Collision Reconstruction Unit, which specializes in investigating fatal and serious injury crashes, responded to assist with the investigation.
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