Two Teen Girls Dead in Three-Car Crash on Highway 101 on N. Oregon Coast

Published 06/27/25 at 8:35 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Cannon Beach, Oregon) – A three-vehicle crash on Thursday, June 26 took the lives of two teenagers, sent four others to the hospital and backed up traffic on the north Oregon coast for almost seven hours.

Oregon State Police (OSP) said the crash happened at 1:21 p.m. near milepost 27 in Clatsop County, a spot that is a few miles from Cannon Beach. At 2 p.m., the City of Seaside sent out a traffic alert saying the road was completely closed in that area.

OSP said the preliminary investigation appears to show a southbound Toyota Tacoma crossed the center line and hit a northbound Honda CRV head-on. The Honda was then pushed into the roadside shoulder, with the Toyota moving further into the northbound lane and striking a Nissan Rogue.

It is still unknown at this time why the Toyota veered into the opposite lane.

OSP identified those involved.

The Toyota Tacoma was occupied by Ian Granville Hix (30) of Seaside. Hix was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.

Highway 26 file photo - Oregon Coast Beach Connection

The Honda CRV was driven by Phyllis J. Harding (76) of San Francisco, who suffered serious injuries and was taken to a north Oregon coast hospital as well.

Inside the Nissan Rogue were Charles Paul LeBlanc (57) and Jennifer Lyria LeBlanc (52), both of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They were taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

Two female teens (15 and 12 years old) in the vehicle were pronounced dead on the scene, which OSP said was the direct result of the crash.

“The highway was impacted for approximately seven hours during the on-scene investigation,” OSP said. “The cause of the crash is under investigation.”

Map courtesy ODOT

Also responding to the scene were north Oregon coast agencies the Cannon Beach Police Department, Gearhart Police Department, Cannon Beach Fire, Seaside Fire, and ODOT.

The Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) is a dedicated team tasked with investigating fatal and serious injury crashes on Oregon’s highways.

“The team provides expertise in the documentation, investigation, and analysis of complex motor vehicle crashes and crime scenes,” OSP said.

Portland, Oregon Highway Traffic, Road Conditions - Traffic Cams: I-5 - I-205 - I-405 - Hwy 217 - I-84
--- Oregon Coast Traffic / Road Conditions

Team members are extensively trained in advanced measurement methods and the deployment of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) to support on-site investigations. The CRU includes ACTAR-certified collision reconstructionists and skilled technical investigators positioned throughout the state.

Back in May, one person was killed and five seriously injured after a head-on crash in the Oregon Coast Range, which also tied up traffic on Highway 26 for hours.

That stretch in May was an active holiday weekend for rescuers along this shoreline and the Washington coast, with a teen swimmer declared missing since late on a Friday night at Long Beach and two incidents in Cannon Beach which turned out to be false alarms. See 1 Dead, 5 Injured In Highway 26 Crash That Backed up Oregon Coast Range Traffic Saturday - Rescuers had to pull some victims up from 60 feet below the highway

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