2 die in head-on with Kennewick semi

Two men died in a head-on with a semitruck south of Desert Aire this weekend.

Gerardo Sanchez-Medina, 19, of Mattawa, was driving a Honda Civic north on Highway 243 at 4:30 a.m., according to the Washington State Patrol.

The state patrol said he crossed the center line and crashed into a southbound semi driven by Ryan Barr, 35, of Kennewick.

The Civic landed in the northbound ditch, and Barr’s semi ended up in the southbound ditch.

Sanchez-Medina and his passenger Eric Perez-Garcia, 26, also of Mattawa, died at the scene, the state patrol said. Each was wearing a seatbelt. Barr suffered minor injuries.

The highway was closed for 10 hours when troopers investigated.