Christmas crash on I-84 takes a life

By Terry Murry on Tuesday, December 27th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

MORROW COUNTY – A single-car crash took the life of a Boardman man on Christmas morning and seriously injured another person. Oregon State Police reports Ricardo Mejia Avila, 27, was pronounced deceased at the scene near milepost 174.

Asarias Alonso Ramos, 38, also of Boardman, was critically injured and transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston. An update on his condition was not available.

OSP reports that a Mercedes E320 was traveling westbound when the driver lost control. The vehicle rolled several times, coming to rest on the east side of the highway. Both people were ejected, so the accident report does not designate who was driving and who was the passenger.

Icy road conditions, alcohol, and excessive speed were named as possible factors in the crash. The interstate was closed for five hours as a result of the crash and the ensuing investigation. OSP was assisted at the scene by the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, the Boardman Police Department, the Boardman Fire Department, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.