CURRY COUNTY, OR - On Saturday, February 22, 2025, at 10:49 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian crash on Highway 101, near milepost 359, in Curry County.
The preliminary investigation indicated a northbound Ford F-150, operated by Gerald Eugene Stewart, age 37, of Crescent City, CA, struck a pedestrian, William Donald Zehdner, 63, of Brookings, who was in the lane of travel.
The pedestrian (Zehdner) was transported and declared deceased at a local emergency room.
The operator of the Ford (Stewart) was reportedly uninjured.
The highway was impacted for approximately 3.5 hours during the on-scene investigation. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
OSP was assisted by the Brookings Police Department and Harbor Fire.
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About the Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU)
The Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) is a specialized unit responsible for investigating fatal and critical injury collisions on Oregon's highways. The team provides expertise in the documentation, investigation, and analysis of complex motor vehicle crashes and crime scenes. They receive specialized training in the use of advanced measuring techniques and small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for on-scene investigations. The CRU team includes ACTAR accredited collision reconstructionists and technical collision investigators deployed across the state.
