4 dead, 7 hurt after teen driver hits bus. She was trying to pass a car in Central WA

Four people died Sunday when a car slammed head-on into an oncoming, full-size bus in Central Washington about 1:30 p.m., according to the Washington State Patrol.

The teen driver and her passenger were trying to pass another car on the two-lane highway. Both were killed along with the driver of the bus and a bus passenger.

Seven other people were injured in the crash, all of them among the 18 Washington and Idaho residents on the bus, according to a WSP list.

Northwestern Stagelines, of Spokane, said the bus was traveling a scheduled route between Seattle and Spokane, according to the Seattle Times.

The car that was being passed on Highway 28 southeast of Wenatchee in Douglas County also was hit in the crash. That driver, Rebeca Niemeyer of Cashmere, Wash., had two children ages 8 and 6 in her car, but they were not hurt, said the WSP.

A 17-year-old East Wenatchee driver was headed toward Wenatchee along the Columbia River in a 2007 Camry when she crossed the center line trying to pass a Chevrolet Traverse near the community of Voltage, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The Camry hit the bus and then the Chevrolet SUV.

The 17-year-old driver was wearing a seat belt but her passenger, a 17-year-old male, was not, according to WSP. Police did not release their names due to their ages.

The bus came to rest upright in the ditch.

The bus driver, a 66-year-old Spokane man, died before he could be taken to a hospital. WSP publicly identified him as Michael W. Meacham 66, on Feb. 13.

Also on Feb. 13 WSP released the name of the bus passenger who died after being taken to a Wenatchee hospital. She was Amelia Montoya, 83, of Spokane Valley, Wash.

The other passengers on the bus who were injured included Amy Baltazar Torres, 29, of Othello.

Others who were hurt were from Spokane, Seattle, Quincy and Grangeville, Idaho. They ranged in age from 24 to 71, according to a WSP list.

At least one of the injured passengers was in critical condition, and four had non-life-threatening injuries, WSP reported Monday.

Highway 28 was closed for about 10 hours Sunday afternoon.

WSP said it’s continuing to investigate what happened.

This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 12:05 PM.