Lane County, OR. –- Official Release: On Thursday, April 3, 2025, at about 2:23 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash on Highway 126 near Florence in Lane County.
The preliminary investigation indicated that a white Freightliner semi-truck traveling westbound, operated by Joseph Jack Botelho (64) of Veneta, and a white Ford T-350 van traveling eastbound, operated by Mathew Jacob Decker (37) of Eugene, collided head-on near milepost 6 on Hwy. 126 for an unknown reason.
The operator of the Ford T-350 (Decker) was declared deceased at the scene.
The operator of the Freightliner semi-truck (Botelho) had reported minor injuries and was not transported.
The highway was impacted for approximately five hours during the on-scene investigation.
OSP was assisted by Western Lane Fire and EMS and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
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 documenting, investigating, and analyzing complex motor vehicle crashes and crime scenes. They receive specialized training in using 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.
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