The fatal collision occurred at approximately 1:38 p.m. Friday, August 21, 2026, on Highway 38 near milepost 27.
Douglas County, OR — A 13-year-old boy was killed and six other people were injured in a two-vehicle head-on crash on Highway 38 in Douglas County Friday afternoon, according to the Oregon State Police.
The fatal collision occurred at approximately 1:38 p.m. Friday, August 21, 2026, on Highway 38 near milepost 27.
According to the preliminary investigation, a yellow 2021 Ram 2500 pickup towing a 17-foot boat was traveling eastbound when it left its lane, crossed the centerline, and collided head-on with a westbound 2012 Ford F350 pickup.
The driver of the Ram, identified as Jason Dean Paden, 63, of Portland, was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. Two passengers in the Ram, including a 14-year-old girl, also suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized. The Ford driver, identified as 56-year-old William Everett Ratledge of Oakland, who was airlifted to a local hospital.
Two juvenile boys in the Ford were transported to a hospital with injuries. Unfortunately, a 13-year-old boy suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was not immediately clear what caused the Ram to leave its lane.
The Lower Umpqua Ambulance, Umpqua Valley Ambulance, Elkton Fire and Rescue, Scottsburg Fire and Rescue, and the Oregon Department of Transportation responded to the scene and assisted the OSP.
The crash affected Highway 38 for approximately five hours while emergency responders and investigators worked at the scene.
The fatal crash remains under and anyone with information about the collision or who may have seen the yellow Ram pickup and boat before the crash is asked to contact Oregon State Police Dispatch at 800-442-0776 or by dialing *OSP (*677) from a mobile phone