Local Harney County woman killed on highway 78
By Mindy McKerrall on Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News Eastern/Southeast Oregon Top Stories
HARNEY COUNTY (Released by Oregon State Police)– On Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 78 near milepost 36 in Harney County.
The preliminary investigation indicated a yellow Kawasaki Teryx (UTV), operated by Rae Jean Marie Neumann (71) of Burns, was traveling southbound along the shoulder when it attempted to cut across the highway to enter a driveway. A southbound silver Mercedes E350, operated by Timothy John Dudzik (86) of Carefree, Arizona, was unable to avoid the UTV and struck it on the driver’s side before leaving the roadway on the northbound shoulder. The operator of the UTV was thrown from the vehicle.
The operator of the UTV (Neumann) was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The operator of the Mercedes (Dudzik) was reportedly not injured.
The highway was impacted for approximately 30 minutes during the on-scene investigation.
OSP was assisted by the Harney County Sheriff’s Office, Burns Police Department, and Harney District Hospital Emergency Medical Services.
