A Hermiston man died early Tuesday morning in an accident on Interstate 84 in Morrow County.
The Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on I-84 near milepost 168 around 5 a.m.
The preliminary investigation indicated a westbound Kia Sorrento, operated by Samuel Burgus, 33, of Umatilla, was slowed in traffic due to a detour related to another crash. As the Kia slowed and prepared to merge into the slow lane, a Dodge Ram 1500, operated by Miron Kosovan, 23, of Kennewick, Wash., failed to slow for traffic and struck the rear end of the Kia in the fast lane.
A passenger in the Kia, Alexander James Pace, 36, of Hermiston, was declared dead at the scene.
Burgus, the operator of the Kia, and a passenger, Oscar Sanchez, 49, suffered minor injuries. A fourth occupant of the Kia, Liobaldo Villa Campos, 36, of Hermiston, suffered critical injuries.
The operator of the Dodge, Kosovan, was assessed for injury on-scene.
The highway was impacted for approximately three hours during the on-scene investigation. The investigation is ongoing.
The OSP was assisted by Boardman Fire, the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
