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Update | Driver who died after she hit a guardrail near Prosser is identified

A person died after a one-car crash Sunday morning on Interstate 82 just west of Prosser, according to the WSP.
A person died after a one-car crash Sunday morning on Interstate 82 just west of Prosser, according to the WSP. Washington State Patrol

Interstate 82 was closed to eastbound traffic Sunday morning due to a crash near Prosser that left a woman dead.

Highway 397 also was closed at Interstate 82 by a wildfire south of Kennewick.

A Nissan Altima was being driven eastbound on the interstate at just after 8:30 a.m. when it left the roadway and entered the median about one mile west of the Wine Country Road exit to Prosser, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The car hit a guardrail, spun and came to a stop in the eastbound lanes.

The driver, Nora L. Orosco, 46, of Grandview, died before she could be taken to a hospital, according to the WSP. There were no passengers in her car.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The Washington state Department of Transportation announced it had closed the interstate to eastbound traffic shortly after 9 a.m. It reopened about noon.

Traffic was diverted around the closed section of the interstate at the County Line Road exit at Grandview, according to the WSP.

Highway 397 was closed from I-82 to Olympia Street, according to the Department of Transportation.

The fire was reported about 9:45 a.m. and about 20 firefighting units were battling the fire. The roadway reopened just before noon.

Benton Fire District 1 posted to social media that the roadway was closed to allow firefighters to work. The cause of the fire was not yet known.

This story was originally published October 2, 2022 at 11:42 AM.

AC
Annette Cary
Tri-City Herald
Senior staff writer Annette Cary covers Hanford, energy, the environment, science and health for the Tri-City Herald. She’s been a news reporter for more than 30 years in the Pacific Northwest. Support my work with a digital subscription
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