A pedestrian died after being hit by a semitruck Wednesday night on the Bend Parkway near Reed Market Road, police said.

Oregon State Police identified the man who died as James Ray Carter, 75, of Bend.

Oregon State Police spokesperson Kyle Kennedy confirmed the death Thursday morning. The accident closed the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 97 for four hours Wednesday evening.

According to a preliminary investigation by Oregon State Police, a Freightliner traveling south driven by Gurwinder Singh, 34, of Tracy, California, struck Carter in the fast lane of the parkway. Carter was declared dead at the scene. Singh was uninjured.

Data from the Oregon Department of Transportation indicates 90 people have died in traffic-related incidents in Oregon in 2024 as of March 21. An estimated 21 of those deaths were pedestrians.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, police said.

Sunday is the deadline for Oregon drivers to remove studded tires from their vehicles.

Oregon law allows drivers to use studded tires from Nov. 1 through March 31. Drivers who still have studded tires after the spring deadline can be charged with a Class C traffic violation, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The state transportation agency encourages drivers to consider using chains or other types of traction tires instead of studded tires, to help minimize roadway damage. A 2014 study concluded that studded tires cause about $8.5 million in damage to state highways each year, according to ODOT.

ODOT maintenance crews will continue to monitor highways and weather forecasts, and will work to clear late-season snow and ice as soon as possible. If drivers need to travel in winter weather after March 31, the agency advises them to use other types of traction tires or chains, or to postpone their travel plans.

Drivers can visit www.tripcheck.com or call 511 for the latest road conditions.

Sisters School District Superintendent Curt Scholl confirmed Thursday that a Sisters High School employee had been placed on leave from the district, but he was not able to comment further on personnel matters, he said.

“We are aware of the allegations that have been circulating in our community,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “We take such allegations very seriously and will follow our district protocol in addition to collaborating with any other agencies that are involved.”

The employee is choir and Americana Project teacher Rick Johnson, according to reporting by the Sisters Nugget newspaper. The district, the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office are investigating allegations of inappropriate text messaging between Johnson and a former minor student, according to the Nugget.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office did not return calls for comment on Thursday.