Springfield man dies in Highway 126 crash near Veneta
A Springfield man died and Highway 126 closed for about four hours after his Mazda crossed the center line and hit two eastbound cars near Veneta.
Highway 126 was shut down for about four hours Sunday afternoon after a westbound Mazda3 crossed the center line near milepost 52 and triggered a three-vehicle crash that killed a 46-year-old Springfield man. Oregon State Police identified the driver as John Michael Unrein and said the collision unfolded at about 3:53 p.m. in Lane County, just west of Fisher Road near Veneta.
Investigators said Unrein’s red Mazda3 first hit a white Chevrolet Equinox head-on. The Chevrolet rolled over and came to rest in the westbound lane, then Unrein’s car continued into the eastbound lane and struck a red Hyundai Elantra head-on as well. Unrein died at the scene.
The people in the Chevrolet, including a Veneta woman and an adult passenger, were not injured. The 23-year-old woman driving the Hyundai was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The sequence turned one center-line crossing into a multivehicle emergency, closing a highway that carries daily traffic between Eugene, Springfield and western Lane County.
The crash drew a response from Oregon State Police, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Lane Fire Authority, the Lane County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Oregon Department of Transportation. OSP described the wreck in a June 16 flash alert as a three-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 126 near milepost 52.
The cause of the center-line crossing remains under investigation. ODOT says fatal-crash information is preliminary and can change as investigators process the scene, a reminder that early details can shift as agencies complete their review. For drivers who use Highway 126 every day, the crash is a stark example of how quickly a passing error, drift or loss of control can turn a routine trip into a closure and a fatal head-on collision.
The location also places the crash in a corridor that local drivers know well. The Register-Guard reported the scene as just west of Fisher Road, adding a more specific reference point for motorists who travel that stretch between Veneta and the Eugene-Springfield area. With investigators still working through the cause, the immediate facts are clear: one lane crossing on Highway 126 led to a death, two injured drivers and a shutdown that rippled across the afternoon commute.
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