Salem bicyclist, 56, dies after crash with right-turning car at 25th and State streets (Nov. 2)
Quick Read
Dean Edward Butcher, 56, of Salem died after his bicycle and a car collided at 25th Street SE and State Street at about 3:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, Salem police said.
Police said the 23-year-old driver had stopped at a red light northbound on 25th Street and was turning right onto eastbound State Street when Butcher, riding westbound on State, came into contact with the car's left front corner.
The driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police have not announced any citation or charge, and the investigation is ongoing.
It is the seventh fatal traffic crash Salem police have investigated in 2026, and the second deadly crash on State Street in less than a week.
SALEM, Ore. - A 56-year-old Salem man riding a bicycle died after a collision with a car at 25th Street SE and State Street on Halloween afternoon, the Salem Police Department said in a news release Sunday, Nov. 1.
Officers were called to the vehicle-versus-bicycle crash at about 3:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. According to police, a 23-year-old driver traveling north on 25th Street had stopped at a red light and began turning right onto eastbound State Street. The bicyclist, Dean Edward Butcher of Salem, was riding westbound on State Street when his bicycle "came into contact with the car's left front corner," police said.
Butcher fell and was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, where he later died, according to the release. His next of kin have been notified.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, police said. The Statesman Journal noted that police did not identify the driver or the type of vehicle. KATU also reported the crash. KPTV described the bicyclist as being struck head-on by a car turning right on a red light; the police release itself says only that the bicycle came into contact with the car's left front corner.
What we don't know yet
Police have not said whether Butcher was riding in the street or in a crosswalk, how fast the car was moving or whether anyone will be cited. No citation or charge had been announced as of Monday morning, Nov. 2, and the investigation is ongoing. Willamette News found no public statement from the driver.
Seventh traffic death in Salem this year
Police said Butcher's death is the seventh fatal traffic crash Salem police have investigated in 2026, resulting in seven deaths.
It came five days after another fatal crash on State Street. Just after midnight on Monday, Oct. 26, a 23-year-old Salem driver, Landon Dayne Bell, died after his westbound Cadillac sedan left the road and hit a telephone pole near the 1300 block of State Street, police said. His 21-year-old passenger had minor injuries.
The year's total remains well below 2024, when Salem police responded to a record 21 fatal crashes, more than the city's homicide count, Hoodline reported in August, citing Salem Reporter. That record led the department to make traffic safety a core priority of its 2025 to 2027 strategic plan, according to the same report.
The intersection and the corridor
The city worked on the 25th and State intersection last year. Starting May 12, 2025, crews built new curb ramps and a sidewalk and added a pedestrian island and other safety measures, with intermittent work through October 2025, Salem Reporter reported at the time, citing a city statement.
Farther west, the city's State Street Corridor Plan calls for reconfiguring State Street between 12th and 17th streets to one travel lane in each direction with a center turn lane, plus bike lanes and wider sidewalks. The city says that project is funded through the 2022 Safety and Livability Bond, with construction expected to start in 2028 and finish in 2029. The stretch near 25th Street is not part of that lane change.
Sources
Salem Police Department: Bicyclist Dies After Crash at 25th Street and State Street, news release via FlashAlert (Nov. 1, 2026)
Salem Police Department: Salem Police Traffic Unit Investigates Single-Vehicle Fatal Crash, news release via FlashAlert (Oct. 26, 2026)
Statesman Journal: 56-year-old bicyclist killed after crash in east Salem on Halloween (Nov. 1, 2026)
KATU: Salem bicyclist dies after collision at 25th Street and State Street (Nov. 1, 2026)
KPTV: Cyclist dead after crash with car in Salem (Nov. 1, 2026)
Salem Reporter: State Street construction to add some traffic through the fall (May 15, 2025)
City of Salem: State Street Corridor Plan
Hoodline: Salem sidewalk crash kills woman, 32, as drunk driver faces new charges (August 2026)
Cover photo: Downtown Salem Oregon State Street north side, by M.O. Stevens, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
Comments