Motorcyclist in wrong lane dies on Oregon Highway 30; Ocean Park driver uninjured
Published 6:47 am Tuesday, March 3, 2026
This story has been updated to reflect corrections issued by Oregon State Police.
COLUMBIA COUNTY — A Kalama man died in a collision on Oregon Highway 30 last week that blocked traffic for hours.
Oregon State Police responded to the three-vehicle crash on Highway 30, near milepost 64, in Columbia County on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 5:39 p.m.
A preliminary investigation indicated an eastbound Indian Chieftain motorcycle, operated by Nick Anthony Verne, 32, of Kalama, was negotiating a sweeping right hand turn when it crossed the centerline into the westbound lane and sideswiped a westbound Toyota Rav4, operated by Kenneth Edward Uphoff, 73, of Ocean Park, before striking a westbound Toyota 4Runner, operated by Elliette Michelle Vasquez, 32, of Astoria, head-on.
The operator of the Indian motorcycle, Verne, was declared deceased at the scene.
The operator of the Toyota 4Runner, E. Vasquez, and passenger, Michael Evaristo Vasquez, 60, of Astoria, suffered reported minor injuries and were transported to an area medical center.
The operator of the Toyota Rav4, Uphoff, was reportedly uninjured.
The highway was impacted for approximately four hours during the on-scene investigation. It was the same night the Astoria-Megler Bridge was closed to allow removal of the old ticket-booth cover
OSP was assisted by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Rainier Police Department, Columbia River Fire and Rescue, and ODOT.
