Fatal Crash – Highway 30 – Columbia County - 05/18/26

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ore. (18 May 2026) – On Friday, May 15, 2026, at 1:47 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 30 near milepost 34 in Columbia County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a gold Nissan Pathfinder, operated by Gary Michael George (69) of Rainier, was traveling eastbound on Highway 30 near Columbia City when it crossed the center line and collided head-on with a loaded white Freightliner commercial motor vehicle, operated by Kulwinder Singh (36) of Auburn (WA). The Nissan was reported to have been observed passing traffic in the oncoming travel lane prior to the crash.

The operator of the Nissan (George) was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The operator of the Freightliner (Singh) was reportedly not injured. He remained on scene and cooperated with the investigation.

The highway was impacted for approximately three hours during the on-scene investigation.

OSP was assisted by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia City Police Department, Rainier Police Department, Columbia River Fire and Rescue, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

 

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About the Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) 
The Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) is a specialized unit responsible for investigating fatal and critical injury collisions on Oregon’s highways. The team provides expertise in documenting, investigating, and analyzing complex motor vehicle crashes and crime scenes. They receive specialized training in using advanced measuring techniques and small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for on-scene investigations. The CRU team includes ACTAR-accredited collision reconstructionists and technical collision investigators deployed across the state.