4 hurt in wreck at Highway 395 crossing, near where 3 have died in past month
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- Crash at Highway 395 and Crestloch Road hospitalizes four.
- Intersection sees third major wreck in a month.
- Separate weekend wrecks in Richland and Kennewick lead to DUI and felony arrests.
Another serious wreck at a Franklin County highway crossing sent four people to the hospital over the weekend.
Wyatt Zylawy, 29, of Coeur d’Alene, was driving west on Crestloch Road toward Highway 395 when he failed to yield before entering the highway, according to Washington State Patrol.
Zylawy’s Chevy Silverado hit a Nissan Frontier traveling north on the divided highway, and then a Chevy Traverse hit the Nissan.
Trooper Daniel Mosqueda said it appeared Zylawy either didn’t stop for the stop sign or failed to see the northbound traffic.
The drivers and passengers of both the Nissan and Chevy Traverse were all taken to local hospitals. The injuries were not life threatening, Mosqueda said. Zylawy’s passenger wasn’t hurt.
Zylawy was cited for failing to yield.
This is the third serious wreck in the area in the last month.
“We really want to stress to our drivers, especially in an intersection like this with north and southbound traffic moving at 70 mph, consider taking more time at the intersection and not being so quick to try and cross ...,” Mosqueda said.
He also encouraged drivers to limit distractions and be mindful of how quickly cross traffic is moving.
Mark Wallum, 76, of Vancouver, was killed in a wreck at the same intersection on Aug. 24. He was a passenger in an SUV being driven by Patricia Wallum, when she failed to yield when making a left turn across the highway toward the Country Mercantile store, according to WSP.
Jovel, 48, of Deer Park, was travelling north on the highway and struck her vehicle. Gomez Jovel and his passenger were also hurt in the wreck.
Just two weeks before that a Richland woman and her teen passenger were killed when trying to cross Highway 395 at Foster Wells Road, just a few miles south of Crestloch.
Rafaela Alquicira Huipo, 50, cleared the northbound lanes but failed to yield to southbound traffic when attempting to cross the highway. Her Geo sedan was hit by a Toyota Tacoma. Aquicira Huipo and her daughter Yureli Ontiveros Alquicira, 17, were both killed in the Aug. 12 wreck.
Wreck causes Richland power outage
On Friday night around midnight a wreck knocked out power to a Richland neighborhood.
Officers responded to a call about a vehicle hitting a power pole at Goethals Drive and Gillespie Street, according to a social media post.
Witnesses told dispatchers that the driver had ran away, but officers were able to determine who was driving and found him in the back yard of a home where he had recently been arrested for domestic violence assault, according to Richland police.
A court order was in effect ordering him to stay 1,000 feet away from the home. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Richland police did not release the suspect’s name.
He was arrested on suspicion of violating the protection order, third-degree driving with a suspected license and hit and run.
Richland police said alcohol was not a factor.
Richland utility workers were able to quickly restore power.
Kennewick DUI wreck
In Kennewick a man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a wreck.
Eduardo Garcia was involved in a wreck with a semi truck in the area of West Clearwater Avenue and North Taft Street, according to Kennewick police.
The wreck happened just after 2 a.m. on Sunday, and Garcia was booked into the Benton County jail about 5 a.m.
