On Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 8:52 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 97, near milepost 156, in Deschutes County.
The preliminary investigation indicated a southbound Dodge Caravan, operated by Anthony Buddrick Torre, 25, of La Pine, crossed the centerline and struck a northbound Kenworth commercial motor vehicle and trailer, operated by Florentino Cruz Aguilar, 52, Williams, California, head-on. The collision caused both vehicles to become fully engulfed in flames and required local fire crews efforts to extinguish the fires.
The operator of the Dodge (Torres) was declared deceased at the scene.
The operator of the Kenworth (Cruz Aguilar) suffered reportedly minor injuries and was transported to an area medical center.
The highway was impacted for an extended period of time during the investigation and cleanup of the vehicles. The operator of the Dodge had been reported as suicidal prior to the crash and the crash is suspected to have been intentional.
OSP was assisted by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Sunriver Fire, Alfalfa Fire, La Pine Fire, and ODOT.
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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.
