Two Boardman people were seriously injured Monday morning when the vehicle they were in pulled into the path of an oncoming commercial truck.
Around 10:31 a.m. on Monday, troopers from the Oregon State Police Hermiston and Pendleton offices responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash on Interstate 84 overpass at Highway 207.
Preliminary investigation revealed a silver Pontiac, operated by Markus Smith, 20, with a 13-year-old passenger, both of Boardman, was stopped at the stop sign, at top of the exit ramp, at exit 182 from Interstate 84 eastbound. The Pontiac pulled onto Highway 207 into the path of a commercial motor vehicle, operated by Kevin Helzer, 56, of Hermiston, traveling northbound. The Pontiac sideswiped the commercial motor vehicle traveling north and spun striking another commercial motor vehicle, operated by Glen Sharp, 53, of Umatilla, which was stopped on Highway 207, facing south and waiting to turn east onto Interstate 84.
Smith was seriously injured in the crash and transported by ground ambulance to Good Shepherd Hospital in Hermiston. The 13 year old male passenger suffered critical injuries and was transported by Life Flight to Kadlec Medical Center in Washington and later transported to a Spokane area hospital. Helzer and Sharp were not injured in the collision.
The crash is being investigated by Troopers from the Hermiston Worksite with assistance of the Oregon State Police Reconstruction Unit. OSP was assisted at the scene by the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, Hermiston Fire and Rescue, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
