Stock image

A 48-year-old man died Thursday while riding his motorcycle on U.S. Highway 20 in a suspected DUII crash in Bend, police said.

Bend Police responded to a crash just east of 27th Street on Highway 20 shortly after 1 p.m., Sheila Miller, department spokesperson, said in a news release.

Kyle Lamont Cofer, 46, of Bend, turned left to head west on the highway in his green GMC Envoy from the Stonebriar Apartments, Miller said.

Police say the turn was illegal. Cofer collided with Chad Jeremy Bernhardt of Bend, who was riding east on the highway on his motorcycle, Miller said.

Bernhardt was trapped under the SUV when officers arrived, Miller said. He was declared dead at the scene.

Cofer remained at the scene of the crash and cooperated with the investigation.

He was then arrested on suspicion of a DUII, second degree manslaughter, reckless driving and reckless endangerment, Miller said.

The highway was closed between 27th Street and the Hamby Road and Ward Road roundabout for more than three hours. It reopened around 4:20 p.m.

Cofer remained in Deschutes County jail as of Thursday evening, but formal charges had yet to be filed with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s office.

Since 2022, three people have died as a result of riding a motorcycle in Bend, Miller said.