Update: Tri-Cities teen driver could be facing charges after 17-year-old passenger killed

A 17-year-old Richland girl died in a wreck on Highway 240 on Tuesday, and now the driver could be facing charges.

Celcilo Romero, 18, of Kennewick, was headed east on the highway toward Interstate 182 when he went off the road and rolled the 2005 Infinity G35 he was driving about 3 p.m.

The teen girl was pronounced dead at the crash scene. Her name is being withheld, but family has been contact, according to a Washington State Patrol crash report.

Romero and a 17-year-old boy were taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center with injuries. It’s unclear how severely they were hurt. All three were wearing seat belts.

Charges against Romero are pending, according to the crash report.

The wreck closed down eastbound Highway 240 in that area for about three hours, and traffic on nearby roads backed up leading into the after-work commute as drivers were detoured.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

This story was originally published November 21, 2023 at 3:45 PM.

Cory McCoy

Tri-City Herald

Cory is an award-winning investigative reporter. He joined the Tri-City Herald in Dec. 2021 as an Editor/Reporter covering social accountability issues. His past work can be found in the Tyler Morning Telegraph and other Texas newspapers. He was a 2019-20 Education Writers Association Fellow, and has been featured on The Murder Tapes, Grave Mysteries and Crime Watch Daily with Chris Hansen.