A rental truck bearing Washington plates sits on the railroad tracks near North Powder on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. The truck crashed off Interstate 84 and the driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. It was unclear what caused the crash, according to police.

NORTH POWDER — An early morning single-vehicle accident near North Powder left the driver of a Dodge 3500 pickup deceased on Wednesday, Dec. 15.

The individual driving the vehicle was identified by the Oregon State Police as Robert Miller, a 54-year-old from Shelton, Washington. Miller was fatally injured and pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Miller’s vehicle, which was pulling a 20-foot trailer, left the westbound lane of Interstate 84 near the North Powder exit and descended into the median. The truck went down a steep embankment and flipped over on the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. The accident was reported to the Baker County 911 dispatch center at 6:29 a.m.

OSP Sgt. Dave Aydelotte stated that the driver was deceased by the time that first responders arrived at the crash site. Life Flight was called in for the incident, but turned around after hearing that Miller did not survive the crash.

Miller was the only passenger of the vehicle and no other cars were involved in the accident. According to OSP Senior Trooper Greg Retherford, the driver was wearing a seatbelt and did not eject out of the vehicle upon impact. I-84 was not blocked off following the accident.

The incident delayed Union Pacific Railroad trains throughout the morning until the scene was fully cleared. OSP was aided by the La Grande Fire Department, the Union County Sheriff’s Office and Union Pacific Railroad.