Driver Involved in May 7th Quadruple Fatal Crash East of Government Camp Arrested

(GOVERNMENT CAMP) - Police say the driver of a car involved in a May 7th fatal traffic crash on Highway 26 east of Government Camp that resulted in the death of four people, was arrested Friday morning following an indictment by the Wasco County Grand Jury.

22-year old Andrey A. Blashishen northeast Portland, was arrested without incident just after 10:00 this morning at his residence by Oregon State Police Sergeant Pat Shortt, Senior Trooper Thad Routson, and Detective Dan Swift.

Blashishin was indicted by the Grand Jury on four counts of Manslaughter in the Second Degree and one count of Assault in the Third Degree. The indictment was the result of an Oregon State Police investigation into a two-vehicle fatal crash on May 7, 2006 at approximately 1:20 PM on Highway 26, about eight miles east of Government Camp.

The indictment alleges that Blashishin recklessly caused the deaths of four people, and serious injury to a fifth person, while operating a 1999 BMW four-door eastbound on Highway 26 near milepost 64.

Investigators say the car crossed the centerline and crashed into a westbound 2004 Dodge Intrepid driven by 55-year old Gary Dean Matlick of Bend.

Three passengers in the BMW were pronounced deceased at the scene. They were 19-year old Diana Timofeyeva of northeast Portland; 16-year old Ruvim I. Buga of northeast Portland; and, 23-year old Natalia Blashishin of northeast Portland. Ruvim Buga and Natalia Blashishin, the driver's sister, reportedly lived at the same address as the driver.

56-year old Jacqueline Mae Matlick of Bend was also killed in the crash. She and her husband, Gary, were traveling to Portland to attend a concert.

Oregon State Police troopers transported Blashishin to the Northern Oregon Correctional Facility in The Dalles where he will lodged in lieu of $300,000 bail. According to the Wasco County District Attorney's Office, his initial court appearance is tentatively set for Monday, August 7th, at 1:00 PM.

Manslaughter in the Second Degree is a class B Felony. As a Measure 11 case, it carries a minimum sentence of 75 months in the custody of the Department of Corrections. Assault in the Third Degree is a class C Felony and any sentence imposed on such a charge would be governed by the Oregon Sentencing Guidelines.

Conviction of that charge could result in a potential probation sentence of a period of incarceration of up to 30 months in the custody of the Department of Corrections.

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Comments

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Sam Anderson March 12, 2012 2:34 pm (Pacific time)

Mr.Blashishin was responsible for everyone in that car from the moment they sat down. My brother was killed in a similar accident and the driver got more than 18 months. Sorry Bogdan but this not haha in your face moment.... really...

bogdan blashishin August 2, 2007 9:38 pm (Pacific time)

im andreys brother and i say F*** you if u have anything on him. he is a loving brother and good friend. him and my sister were like twins always together he loved and made sure no one hurts and she made sure he makes good choices in his life and death killed one and ruin the others life. he thinks everything is his fault and takes shit from everyone but every should put themselves in his place and how would u feel plus if ur happy to know he is doing his time and getting out soon i how he only go 18 month so screw everyone who said 75 month its just a big haha in ur face. if u want to say anything email me at blash92@yahoo.com

anna October 9, 2006 4:26 am (Pacific time)

horrible accident i feel so sorry for the families.

Re: Rick Shaw September 24, 2006 9:33 am (Pacific time)

Maybe if your life was taken because of neglect, you would want revenge. Jail is a great place for people that don't understand that causing accidents because they are frustrated that traffic is moving slow (which is SPEED LIMIT A** H***S)is selfish and should be tortured in Jail. And for all the Fast Aggressive drivers SLOW THE F**K Down!

Unknown September 19, 2006 10:24 pm (Pacific time)

3 Words. Horrible Story. Real life. Heartbreaking.

Rick Shaw August 5, 2006 2:07 am (Pacific time)

Stop calling jail, which is meant to torture you mentally and also physically, corrections. Jails do not correct, they torture. You are treated like an animal in jail and I do not see how that corrects anything. Corrections is an archaic way of punishing people by taking even the simplest liberties away and essentially mentally torturing people. If people think that the prison system today is ok, try shop lifting and deliberately get caught. You will never say again throw this or that one in jail. Violent sociopaths belong in psychiatric institutions, with medication and whatever therapy is possible. Even Charlie Manson is crazier than a bed bug. Jail has done nothing to rehabilitate him or anyone else. Also people who go to jail sometimes call it College because they learn more about crime sort of like a trade school.

Albert Marnell August 4, 2006 2:37 pm (Pacific time)

This story is a real heart breaker for all concerned. My condolences to any family or friends of the deceased. Horrible, Horrible. Bad things in life happen even when people are careful. I believe the Oregan State Police because State Police are a lot better educated (at least in many states) than county police. If they determined that young Mr. Blashishin was driving recklessly, it is probably, I say probably true. I believe that this is a civil and not a criminal issue. There was no intent to kill. It was negligence on the part of Mr. Blashishin but I do not see it as criminal. He is young, all people who buy BMW'S like to speed, (it is a DEAD give-away) in 99% of the cases. But this man is going to emotionally suffer for the rest of his life. He even lost his own sister. I lost my mother from a freak accident in the house. I started to point fingers and than said,"You can't sue life." There were a number of people that I thought might have been negligent in a civil way, including the carpet company that put defective padding under the new carpet that she had just put in. I could have sued and made this a civil issue but for many reasons decided not to. If I decided to sue, it would not have made me wrong, this was my personal decision and another family memeber would have been involved in the decision. I had sued for something civil years earlier where the negligence was over years and willful. I do not see crossing a yellow line in a split second as something as daily willful intent over many years. In a way I have to blame the governments of the world for allowing high speed vehicles like BMW'S to even be made. It was not mentioned if Mr. B. was speeding but there is no reason for the vehicle of someone who is not in law enforcement to go over 75 miles per hour. I know this sounds a little silly but am just trying to get people to think about life in general. If we all become perfect all of the time, we are still going to die....vitamins or not. And, again..bad things happen even when people are careful. I am not trivializing what happened, I am just saying that there is not always a bad guy that needs punishment even when something bad happens. The need to divide human nature into good and bad is a cop mentality. We all have been in motor vehicle situations where we almost caused a severe or fatal crash (this includes the State and Local police.) I know that ALMOST does not count. But when that extra inch creates a fatal crash, that is the price we pay for being a society that puts so much emphasis on motor vehicles and the need to have them to properly function in most parts of the country. Mr. Blashishin's punishment began the minute metal touched metal. My sympathy to All affected. Let's also see cars for what they are, point A to point B transportation, status symbols and glorified golf-cars with rip-off prices on everything related to the.

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