A 38-year-old Springfield man is dead after striking a deer while driving a motorcycle on Highway 126 near milepost 21 in Lane County on Sept. 5.

The motorcyclist was identified as Lucas Charles Thomas, of Springfield, who died at the scene of the crash.

A preliminary investigation conducted by Oregon State Police indicated Thomas was traveling eastbound in a Suzuki GXR motorcycle when he struck a deer around 3 a.m. The collision caused Thomas to lose control, leave the roadway and travel down an embankment.

OSP troopers did not respond to the scene until several hours later, around 8:45 a.m. The highway was impacted for one hour during an on-scene investigation.

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gann

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