High winds send tractor-trailer over 60-foot cliff in Umatilla County

By Griffin Beach on Wednesday, March 11th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

UMATILLA – A semi-truck driver was hospitalized after his vehicle careened off a cliff and landed on railroad tracks along U.S. Highway 730 on Tuesday.

According to an Oregon State Police report, the driver lost control of the tractor-trailer near milepost 8, possibly due to high winds. The vehicle crashed through a guardrail and plunged approximately 60 feet down a cliff, rolling multiple times before coming to a rest on the Union Pacific railroad tracks.

Emergency medical teams had to use ropes to reach the wreckage and extract the driver. He was subsequently transported to a local hospital; his current condition has not been released.

U.S. 730 and the Union Pacific railroad tracks were affected for approximately eight hours.

Google Maps image showing approximate location of milepost 198 (gray marker) near Juniper Canyon trailhead