Fatal Crash on Oregon Coast Highway – Also Dog Rescued from Cliff in Cannon Beach Area

Published 06/09/26 at 7:55 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Cannon Beach, Oregon) - Oregon State Police (OSP) are investigating a fatal single-vehicle crash that occurred Friday morning on Highway 26 near milepost 7.5 in Clatsop County. It happened on an eventful weekend where a dog had to be rescued from a Cannon Beach cliff and woman committed suicide in front of dozens of onlookers.

Troopers were dispatched to that spot just east of Seaside at 10:32 a.m. on June 5 after a white Nissan Kicks traveling eastbound crossed into the westbound lane near Hamlet and struck a utility pole on the westbound shoulder. The driver, identified as Brittany Ann Estella Lute, 30, of Long Beach, Washington, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said Lute was not believed to be wearing a seatbelt.

OSP said the highway was partially closed for about an hour and a half during the on-scene investigation. Impairment is considered a likely contributing factor.

See Oregon Coast Highway 101 / Coast Range Traffic

Cannon Beach Fire Department, the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office, Medix Ambulance, and the Oregon Department of Transportation assisted at the scene.

Nearby on Saturday, another rescue took place at Ecola State Park.

Photo courtesy Cannon Beach FD

Cannon Beach Fire and Protection District says its high-angle rope rescue team saved a dog stranded on a cliff at Ecola State Park on Saturday after the animal had been missing for about two hours.

Deputy Chief Jason Smith, on patrol in the park around 3:30 p.m., was alerted by Oregon State Park Rangers and met the owners, who said their husky had bolted after being startled. A Cannon Beach police drone soon located the dog roughly 100 feet down a steep cliff, prompting Smith to activate the rope rescue team.

As rescuers descended, the dog became frightened and moved farther onto hazardous terrain, preventing a second rescuer from reaching him and escalating the difficulty of the operation. Eventually, the team managed to calm and distract the husky long enough to secure him and bring him safely back up the cliff. Stuck on Oregon Coast Cliff, Easily-Spooked Dog Makes Rescue Tense for Cannon Beach Responders - The husky was stuck on a steep cliff at Ecola State Park

Down the Oregon coast near Depoe Bay on June 4, a woman committed suicide at Devil's Punchbowl in front of a crowd of people. To their horror, she reportedly jumped twice from a high vantage point after her first attempt did not work. Woman Dies After 40-Ft Fall at Oregon Coast Attraction

Also over the weekend: Rescue of Paraglider After She Was Caught on North Oregon Coast Cliff - The hang glider was stuck at Oceanside's Maxwell Point

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