January 16, 2026 9:30 a.m. 

A Drain man died in a two-vehicle crash on Wednesday morning.

A Douglas County Sheriff’s Office report released on Friday, said the wreck was called in at 5:40 a.m. in the 2400 block of Elkhead Road in the Yoncalla area. A preliminary investigation indicated that an SUV driven by 89-year-old Donald Lawrence Brown was traveling westbound when the vehicle drifted into the eastbound lane for unknown reasons. The SUV collided with a sedan driven by another Drain resident, who was going eastbound.

Brown was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The other driver sustained injuries and was transported by ambulance to CHI Mercy Medical Center.

There were no indications that intoxicants were a factor in the crash. It remains under investigation.

DCSO was assisted by North Douglas County Fire & EMS and the Douglas County Medical Examiner’s Office.