Fatal Crash – Highway 244 – Union County - 09/11/26

UNION COUNTY, Ore. (11 Sept. 2026) – On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at approximately 1:04 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a single-vehicle motorcycle crash on Highway 244 near milepost 37 in Union County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a gray BMW motorcycle operated by Marvin Joseph Mason, 84, of Kennewick, Washington, was traveling on Highway 244 near La Grande when it left the roadway for an unknown reason and crashed near the bank of the Grande Ronde River. Mason had been riding with another motorcyclist, Dean Allen Moore, 73, of Richland, Washington, who was operating a silver BMW motorcycle. At one point, Moore noticed Mason was no longer behind him, turned around to search, and eventually located Mason and the crashed motorcycle.

The operator of the gray BMW (Mason) was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The operator of the silver BMW (Moore) was reportedly not injured.

The highway not impacted during the on-scene investigation.

OSP was assisted by the Union County Sheriff’s Office 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.