Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
MESA – An Othello man was killed and six others injured in a five-vehicle pileup Aug. 7 about three miles north of town.
Jesus Camacho-Augustine, 21, of Othello, was pronounced dead at the scene near Milepost 10 of state Highway 17.
Nicholas L. Abbott, 28, Valentin Galvez-Gonzalez, 24, and Estella DeJesus Gonzalez, 31, all of Othello, were injured in the crash, as were Anthony J. Mawer, 25, and Camden J. Love, 23, both of Vancouver, the Washington State Patrol reported.
A juvenile was also injured; the state patrol failed to release the name, age and hometown of the minor, even though they are public record.
Abbott was transported to a Pasco hospital, the patrol reported. Galvez-Gonzalez and Gonzalez were taken to a Richland hospital, as was the juvenile.
Mawer and Love were transported to the hospital in Othello.
Their conditions were not reported.
Two others in the crash – Lynette M. Love, 48, of Vancouver, and Jamie M. Trejo, 40, of Lisle, Ill. Were not injured.
According to the state patrol, all five vehicles were southbound on the highway about 12:42 p.m..
Abbott was driving a 2008 Dodge Ram, Galvez-Gonzlez a 2007 Honda Civic and Mawer a 2019 Hyundai Sonata, the patrol reported. Lynnette Love was driving a 2022 Hydai Tucson and Trejo was driving a 2012 Honda Civic.
Camacho-Augustine, Gonzalez and the juvenile were passengers in Galvez-Gonzalez’s vehicle, the patrol reported. Camden Love was a passenger in the vehicle driven by Mawer.
Abbott’s Ram was approached the other four vehicles, which were stopped for a state Department of Transportation crew.
Abbott failed to stop and struck Galvez-Gonzalez’s Civic, which started a chain reaction, with her vehicle hitting the Sonata, the Sonata hitting the Tucson and the Tuscon hitting the 2012 Civic, the patrol reported.
Only Camacho-Augustine was not wearing a seatbelt, the patrol reported.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, the patrol reported, noting it has yet to be determined if alcohol or drugs was a factor.
The cross blocked the highway for hours.
Roger Harnack is the co-owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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