One child killed, others injured in Highway 97 crash near milepost 62
By Joshuah Albert
Wasco County, Ore., April 7, 2025 – A two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 97 near milepost 62 left one child dead and several others injured Friday night, according to the Oregon State Police.
Troopers responded to the scene around 9:08 p.m. April 4. A black Honda CRV and a black Volkswagen Atlas collided in the northbound lane. All occupants of both vehicles sustained injuries, and a 7-year-old boy from Spokane, Washington, was pronounced dead.
Two other juveniles—a 4-year-old boy from Spokane and a 15-year-old boy from Pendleton—were injured in the crash. They were transported to nearby hospitals along with the other victims, including the driver of the Honda, Eric Daniel Smidt, 45, and passenger Heather Marie Smidt, 46, both of Pendleton.
OSP identified Eduardo Enrique Aguirre, 34, of Spokane as the suspected driver of the Volkswagen.
Keith James Leathers, 47, of Kennewick, Washington, is listed as a witness in the report.
Highway 97 was closed for approximately six hours while emergency crews responded and investigators documented the scene. Oregon Department of Transportation crews and neighboring law enforcement agencies assisted.
Both vehicles were towed by IRAS Sales & Service to an ODOT maintenance station in Madras under a seizure warrant approved by a Wasco County judge. The OSP crash reconstruction team is continuing the investigation.
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