2018 Oregon Traffic death

[USCRx]

My cousin, Constance (Jeffrey) Campbell (1954-2018), passed away in a suspicious traffic accident on 2 November 2018 on Interstate 84 outside of Ontario, Malheur county, Oregon. I live in California, but my son lives in Portland, Oregon. I asked him to see if he could obtain a copy of Constance's death certificate. So today he went to the Portland State Office Building, in person, to apply. They said the certificate was not obtainable until 50 years after her death.
2 questions:
1. Is this information accurate? Do I have to wait 45 more years to get a copy of her death certificate? Or is there another way to get a copy?
2. What other sources of information can I research to discover the circumstances of her death? She had two of her grandchildren in the car at the time of the accident, and one of them was injured badly enough to be admitted to a local hospital (unsure of the name of the facility).

[Erato]

Access to death records is restricted for 50 years after the date of the event. During the first 50 years the following persons may order:

The decedent’s current spouse or domestic partner who is registered by the state, child aged 18 or older, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, next of kin, legal guardian immediately before death, an authorized representative, a government agency acting in the conduct of its official duties, an employee or agent of a funeral home or person acting as a funeral service practitioner who is named in the record of death or a person that demonstrates to the satisfaction of the state registrar that the certified copy is necessary for a determination related to or the protection of a personal or property right of the applicant. For reference, see ORS 432.380 (2)(c)(B)(iii).

When ordering a death certificate, you must state your relationship to the person named on the record; if you are an attorney, you must state whom you represent. If an attorney does not legally represent the estate of the person named on the record, they must include how their client is related to the person named on the record.

To prove eligibility, you will be asked to provide documentation such as a birth certificate, marriage record, or other document that establishes your right to receive the record.


https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/BIRTHDEATHCERTIFICATES/GETVITALRECORDS/Pages/Eligibility.aspx#death

[MaureeninNY]

Or a newspaper report.

Maureen

[Lisa in California]

Sorry, off topic…I hope you and your son are managing ok with our crazy weather.

[USCRx]

I live in San Luis Obispo. This current storm has dropped 4.25 inches of rain in my backyard in the last day!

[Lisa in California]

I would imagine that’s a lot for Southern California!  I’m glad to read that you aren’t flooded in your area.

We live in a small town in the Northern California foothills and are so far ok. I don’t know how much rain has fallen in our town since yesterday but our county and neighbouring counties are experiencing flooding.  My brother lives 10 minutes up the hill; they’ve had over 6’ (feet, not inches)  of snow (during the past week or two?).  It’s further north than our town — have you seen the reports from the Lake Tahoe area?  Unbelievable.

Hopefully, this winter’s devastating weather conditions will help ease our severe drought conditions. Stay safe.

[USCRx]

For everyone's information, I was able to locate the accident data on ODOT's website. It looks like just a bunch of numbers and letters at first, but if you look at what the codes mean, you're able to piece together the bigger picture. I've attached what it looks like and the codes.