Craig Gerard Russillo, 55, Remembered After Fatal Highway 26 Crash in Wasco County, Oregon
Craig Gerard Russillo, 55, of Bend, died in a head-on crash on Highway 26 near milepost 62 in Wasco County on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
Russillo was driving a Subaru Outback eastbound at approximately 6:22 p.m. when a westbound white Ford Transit van crossed the center line and struck the vehicle.
The Subaru caught fire, and passing motorists pulled Russillo from the vehicle before emergency crews pronounced them dead at the scene.
The van’s driver, Alexander Nikkole Meira, 20, of Portland, received treatment for minor injuries before authorities took them into custody.
Oregon State Police reported that impairment contributed to the crash, and authorities filed charges of DUII, reckless driving, and second-degree manslaughter.
Officials held Meira at the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility.
Investigators closed the highway for approximately five hours as fire crews, medics, and deputies from multiple counties assisted at the scene.
Russillo’s sudden passing leaves family, friends, and the Bend community mourning a life lost too soon near Government Camp.
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