A single mom died driving 90 mph into a roundabout. Kennewick police still don’t know why
Kennewick police are trying to figure out what happened in the space of a few blocks that sent a 29-year-old Pasco mother careening to her death.
The department’s traffic unit is working to piece together what happened before Bricia Villasenor-Botello raced through a roundabout at West 10th Avenue and Steptoe Street on Jan. 30.
Early that morning her Jeep Liberty hit the sidewalk at the edge of the roundabout and launched 150 feet into the air. It crossed over an irrigation wasteway and rolled through fences and backyards.
Villasenor-Botello was wearing her seat belt but died at the scene.
Police know she passed a surveillance camera at the corner of 10th Avenue and Kellogg Street going under the 35-mph speed limit, said Sgt. Matt Newton.
Moments later, she sped through the intersection at Columbia Center Boulevard going 90 mph.
Police have ruled out drugs and alcohol, and are wanting to check if there was a mechanical problem. The Jeep has a “black box” which could help them determine what happened.
But they need a search warrant to access the data, Newton said. Right now, police don’t believe a crime happened, so they may not be able to get a warrant.
They also plan to ask a mechanic to look at the accelerator, though Newton said that in his 19 years as a crash investigator, he’s never seen an accelerator get stuck. And Jeep has not issued any recalls for that model.
“We want to rule out everything that we can,” he said.
GoFundMe campaign
A GoFundMe campaign created by Villasenor-Botello’s manager at Panda Express, May Liu, raised more than $15,000 for Villasenor-Botello’s 5-year-old daughter.
“Wherever Bricia went, and whoever she touched, she made sure to make them blossom like a flower,” Liu wrote. “Bricia was loved by everyone she knew and will be dearly missed.”
Liu wanted to make sure Villasenor-Botello’s daughter was able to have bright future.
“By giving and showing love to Bricia’s daughter, she will never forget her mother’s everlasting love for her,” she wrote.
This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 1:00 PM.