BEND, OR (December 4, 2025) — Two people were killed in a collision with a jackknifed semi on Highway 20 in eastern Deschutes County last week. Oregon State Police identified the victims as 25-year-old William Micah Carter of Springfield and 24-year-old Jennifer Lynn Lower of John Day.
Accident Details: Oregon State Police said the crash happened around 9:30 p.m. on November 24 on Highway 20 at milepost 51, about nine miles east of Brothers. The semi was stopped with the cab facing eastbound but with the trailer perpendicular to the highway, blocking the roadway.
A westbound Subaru Outback hit the trailer. Carter, the driver, and Lower, the passenger, died at the scene. The semi driver was not hurt.
OSP said dark conditions and a lack of active emergency warning equipment are being considered primary contributors to the crash.
Investigation: The semi driver, 32-year-old Rajinder Kumar of Fresno, California, was initially arrested on suspicion of criminally negligent homicide. A grand jury has since increased the severity of charges against Kumar. He now faces two counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of recklessly endangering another, according to court documents.
Judge William Miller increased Kumar’s bail to $500,000 at his arraignment Wednesday. It was the second time in as many days that bail was increased from the original $100,000. Kumar remains held at the Deschutes County Jail.
The reckless endangerment charges involve two other named people and a third who is identified only by their initials, alleging Kumar unlawfully and recklessly created substantial risk of serious physical injury.
Jennifer Lower’s father, Thomas Lower, spoke briefly at a bail hearing Tuesday by phone, saying “This is a terrible tragedy and we wish to see justice served.”
Kumar could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. At his bail hearing Tuesday, Judge Miller required Kumar to wear a GPS monitor if released and said he may not leave the state of Oregon.
Legal Considerations: Commercial truck drivers whose vehicles become jackknifed and block roadways have a legal duty to immediately activate emergency warning equipment and take steps to warn approaching traffic. When a semi-trailer stretches perpendicular across a highway in darkness without active warning equipment, it creates a deadly hazard that approaching drivers cannot see in time to avoid.
The escalation of charges from criminally negligent homicide to first-degree manslaughter reflects prosecutors’ determination that Kumar’s conduct went beyond simple negligence. Manslaughter charges require proof that the defendant recklessly caused death with conscious disregard for substantial and unjustifiable risk.
Kumar’s failure to deploy emergency warning equipment after his semi jackknifed demonstrates the reckless disregard required for manslaughter charges. Carter and Lower had no way to see the trailer blocking their lane until it was too late to avoid the collision.
Commercial trucking companies must properly train drivers on emergency procedures, including what to do when a vehicle becomes disabled or jackknifed. Kumar’s employer may face civil liability if they failed to provide adequate training or if Kumar had a history of unsafe driving.
Wrongful death claims in cases involving commercial trucks seek compensation for funeral expenses, the victims’ pain and suffering before death, and the devastating loss to surviving family members. Carter and Lower were both in their twenties with decades of life ahead of them. Their families face immeasurable loss.
The multiple reckless endangerment charges indicate other motorists narrowly avoided the same fate as Carter and Lower. Kumar’s jackknifed semi without warning equipment threatened every driver approaching that stretch of highway in the darkness.
Our deepest condolences to the families and friends of William Micah Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower as they seek justice for this preventable tragedy.
Source: Central Oregon Daily