UPDATE | Man thrown from vehicle in fiery crash involving semi truck and pickups near Tri-Cities
Three people were hurt when two pickup trucks and a semi collided and burst into flames just south of Pasco on Wednesday.
A Toyota Tundra pickup and semi truck were waiting to turn left from Highway 12 onto Dodd Road south of Burbank when a Chevrolet pickup pulling a trailer barreled into the back of waiting pickup, Trooper Chris Thorson told the Herald.
The force of the crash slammed the Tundra into the semi trailer, and was hard enough to rip the seat belt assembly out and throw the driver, Juan Rangel Chavez, 73, from the pickup.
After the crash, both pickup trucks caught fire.
The Chevrolet’s driver, Martin Douglas Crowe, 58, was able to get out of his pickup before it burst into flames, Thorson said.
The three men, including the semi driver, were taken to local hospitals.
The crash was on a two-lane stretch about six miles from Wallula Junction, according to the Washington state Department of Transportation.
The eastbound lanes of Highway 12 were shut down for a little more than an hour while troopers investigated.
Transportation officials reported that drivers were still encountering slow traffic through the area after the road reopened about 4:30 p.m.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 5:00 PM.