On Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at 5:02 a.m., the Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 84, near milepost 168, in Morrow County. 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 (WA), 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 deceased at the scene. The operator of the Kia (Burgus) 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 on-going. OSP was assisted by Boardman Fire, the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, and ODOT.
