Life taken in Fatal Crash on Highway 20 New Years Eve
By Mindy McKerrall on Monday, January 5th, 2026 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
HARNEY COUNTY(Released from Oregon State Police)- On Wednesday, December 31, 2026, at 5:37 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 20, near milepost 84, in Harney County.
The preliminary investigation indicated a westbound Honda Accord, operated by Christopher Emanuel Cortez Morales (25) of Terrebonne, lost control and entered the eastbound lane where it clipped an eastbound Audi A6, operated by Jennifer Tiffany Carey (53) of Bend. The collision caused the Honda to roll and eject the operator.
The operator of the Honda (Morales) was not wearing a seatbelt and was declared deceased at the scene.
The operator of the Audi (Carey) was reportedly uninjured.
The highway was impacted for approximately 1.5 hours during the on-scene investigation. Operator impairment is being considered as a primary factor of the the crash.
OSP was assisted by ODOT.
