On Thursday, September 28, 2023, at approximately 8:00 P.M., the Oregon State Police responded to a crash involving two commercial motor vehicles on Interstate-84, near milepost 226, in Umatilla County. The preliminary investigation indicated an eastbound commercial motor vehicle and trailer, operated by Ruslan Basarab (49) of Renton (WA), was traveling in the slow lane when it struck the rear-end of Peterbilt commercial motor vehicle and trailer, operated by Francisco Rivera Atilano Jr. (20) of Hermiston. The primary commercial motor vehicle caught fire as a result of the collision and burned so badly it was unidentifiable. The operator was removed from the vehicle and later declared deceased after being transported to an area hospital. The operator of the Peterbilt was not injured. The highway was impacted for approximately 6 hours during the on-scene investigation.
