Milton-Freewater pedestrian struck and killed on OR-11 Wednesday
By Dan Thesman on Friday, November 6th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
MILTON-FREEWATER — A 79-year-old woman died Wednesday evening after being struck by a pickup truck while attempting to cross a highway in northeastern Oregon, authorities said.
The crash occurred at 5:45 p.m. on Highway 11 near Appleton Road, roughly at milepost 33 in Umatilla County, according to the Oregon State Police.
Investigators said Leslie Franklin King, 89, of Milton-Freewater, was driving a northbound blue Dodge Dakota when the vehicle struck Barbara Jane Freel, also of Milton-Freewater, as she crossed the roadway.
State police noted that Freel was wearing dark clothing during low-light conditions at the time of the collision. Bystanders attempted life-saving measures, but Freel was pronounced deceased at the scene.
King and an adult passenger in the Dodge were not injured, officials said.
The collision and subsequent on-scene investigation closed or restricted traffic on Highway 11 for approximately three hours.
The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, Milton-Freewater Police Department, Milton-Freewater Rural Fire Department and EMS, and the Oregon Department of Transportation assisted state troopers at the scene.
