Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009

Weekend roads paved with grief

By Paula Horton, Herald staff writer

A dangerous weekend on Mid-Columbia roads left families and friends mourning the loss of three young people, troopers investigating multiple crash scenes and two drivers behind bars.

The wrecks also left a Kennewick man recovering from broken bones at a Richland hospital and two Yakima Valley residents in serious condition at a Seattle hospital.

Students and staff at Kennewick High on Monday remembered 16-year-old Joevani Olivera as a quiet, well-liked student with a passion for art.

Joevani, a junior, was killed instantly Sunday when the car he was in collided with a Jeep on Interstate 182 in Richland, struck the concrete barrier on the bridge over the Yakima River, then plunged more than 30 feet to the riverbank below.

His cousin, Antonio Olivera, 21, is recovering at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland after surgery on his arm.

Joevani's sister and father escaped serious injuries. The close-knit family gathered at their Kennewick home Monday, a relative said. They weren't up to talking about Joevani or the crash yet, but said funeral arrangements are being made through Mueller's Greenlee Funeral Home in Pasco.

Kennewick High Principal Jack Anderson said Joevani was a well-liked, good student who had excellent attendance.

"It's always a tragedy when a young life is lost -- even more so when you're dealing with neat kids who do the right things and Joevani did the right things," Anderson said.

"He was a good student. He took school seriously. Those are the kinds of kids that are just really special. He'll be sorely missed."

Joevani's teachers were told about his death before an emergency staff meeting in the morning, and a message was sent to staff at Eastgate Elementary and Park Middle School, where Joevani's siblings attend.

Counselors, the school psychologist and intervention specialist were made available at the high school for students to talk to throughout the day if needed. Many students didn't hear about Joevani's death until they got to school, Anderson said, noting students trickled into the library throughout the day or found their own ways to deal with their grief.

Several students created posters that went around the school and to his classes, where students left messages for Joevani's parents and said goodbye.

"What was really kind of special -- and it just shows the heart and compassion that kids have -- is that within a very short amount of time the kids on their own started collecting money for the family," Anderson said. "They raised over $300 that they took over to the family."

The posters were also delivered to the family.

"Posters are one way kids are able to say goodbye and deal with grief. There was also a little crying, tears and hugging (in the hallways)," the principal said. "Teachers are the same way. We absolutely hate it when we have to bury one of our kids."

Washington State Patrol investigators were at the crash scene taking pictures, measurements and gathering information to determine exactly what happened.

"We're still looking into the details about why the vehicle went over the barrier," said Lt. Jay Cabezuela. "At some point there was a lane change that was made and caused a collision between the two vehicles. Both struck the barrier and one went up on the barrier, then went over."

Joevani's 20-year-old sister, Terry, was driving the black Honda Accord eastbound when she attempted to pass a Jeep Cherokee but struck the rear end of it and lost control, troopers said.

The speed limit is 70 mph in that area, and based on what investigators know the Jeep was going 55-60 mph after just entering I-182 at Queensgate Drive, Cabezuela said. The driver, Kenneth Sump, 68, of Richland, still was accelerating but was planning to get off the highway at Wellsian Way, which is the next exit, Cabezuela said.

"They had just recently entered the freeway and were not doing anything to cause them to be at fault," he said.

Sump and his wife, Sharron, 64, were not hurt.

Wrong-way wreck

Also Monday, state patrol investigators were at the scene of Saturday's wrong-way wreck on Interstate 82 at the Benton and Yakima county line that killed a 20-year-old Grandview woman.

Angelica Barajas had been visiting friends in the Tri-Cities and was on her way home when she was struck head-on by a Prosser man who was going the wrong way on the highway, Sgt. Tom Foster said.

Edward Castilleja, 49, had been at the VFW Hall in Grandview and appeared to have just gotten on I-82 at milepost 75 when his 2008 Chevy truck collided with Barajas' 2007 Chrysler 300 sedan. The crash occurred around 3 a.m. Saturday.

Investigators suspect Castilleja had been drinking and was impaired. He was arrested and booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault after being released from Sunnyside Community Hospital. He's being held on no bail and charges are expected to be filed this week in Benton County Superior Court, court officials said.

Eleven-year-old Stephanie Vega of Grandview, who is related to Barajas, was treated at Sunnyside Community Hospital.

Barajas' family could not be located for comment on Monday.

Granger head-on

About 90 minutes earlier, around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Yakima troopers were called to the scene of another head-on crash on Vanbelle Road at Liberty Road about a half-mile east of Granger.

Raul Tapia-Cardenas, 21, of Toppenish, died after his westbound 1999 Honda Accord went into the eastbound lane and struck a 2003 Honda Accord. A third vehicle, a 2007 Chevy truck that was also traveling east, attempted to avoid the collision but hit the 2003 Honda, lost control and struck a concrete barrier, troopers said.

Witnesses said Tapia-Cardenas was possibly trying to pass another vehicle that was in the westbound lane when the crash occurred, Sgt. Ed McAvoy said.

Tapia-Cardenas died at Yakima Memorial Hospital. There was no evidence at the scene indicating drugs or alcohol were involved but the driver will be tested according to standard practice, McAvoy said.

Sunnyside wreck

The fourth major collision this weekend happened around 7:30 p.m. Saturday on Highway 241 about 10 miles north of Sunnyside.

Juan Zuniga, 19, of Sunnyside, is suspected of being under the influence of both alcohol and drugs when he drifted onto the northbound shoulder of the highway, overcorrected and crossed the center line, McAvoy said.

Zuniga's 2003 Toyota pickup struck a 1995 Mercedes in the southbound lane and injured the two Mattawa residents inside.

The driver, Cristobal Rico Villarreal, 35, and passenger, Ricarda Camacho Gomez, 33, were both flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. They were both still in serious condition in the intensive care unit on Monday, hospital officials said.

Zuniga and his passenger, Jennifer Smith, 17, of Sunnyside, were not injured.

Zuniga was arrested and booked into the Yakima County jail on suspicion of two counts of vehicular assault.

Everyone involved in all the weekend crashes was wearing a seat belt. Still, Lt. Cabezuela said unbuckled motorists are a factor in a majority of traffic-related deaths.

Of the 44 fatals this year in the district -- which stretches from Yakima to Walla Walla -- 80 percent of the victims were not wearing seat belts, he said.

Impaired driving is also a common factor in crashes, Cabezuela said, adding that it was the one common connection in most of the weekend collisions, except Sunday's wreck on I-182.

"Over half of people involved in fatal crashes in this region are either using alcohol or drugs while they're driving. That's obviously a very deadly decision.

"The two deadly things are DUI and not wearing seat belts," he added. "If people would stop drinking and driving and would wear seat belts, we would be a lot better off."

w Paula Horton: 582-1556; phorton@tricityherald.com