Junction City Man Killed in Two-Vehicle Crash Near Eugene Wednesday

Kenneth Gajda of Junction City was killed Wednesday evening when a two-vehicle crash near the eastbound Beltline connector to southbound Interstate 5 snapped a power pole and forced an extended closure of one of Eugene's busiest highway access points.

Central Lane 911 received the call around 5:20 p.m. Officers from the Eugene Police Department and its Major Collision Investigation team responded to the scene near the ramp that links Beltline Highway to southbound I-5. Gajda was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity had initially been withheld pending notification of family members.

The broken power pole added a significant infrastructure complication to what was already a serious crash scene. Police described the resulting closure as extended, with eastbound Beltline access to I-5 shut down while crews worked to clear the area. Drivers were urged to find alternate routes.

No information about the cause of the crash or the condition of anyone else involved was immediately released by Eugene police. The MCI team, which handles fatal and serious-injury collisions in the city, was leading the investigation.

The crash marked at least the second incident to close the Beltline's Exit 13 ramp to I-5 south in recent memory, a stretch that the Register-Guard noted has added to road safety concerns in the area. The MCI team had not released a timeline for completing its investigation as of Wednesday evening.