UPDATE: Driver ID’d in Christmas Day wreck that killed 3 east of Wallula Junction
A Christmas Day wreck near Wallula Junction killed three including a 6-month-old baby and sent a Benton City man to the hospital.
Brandon McGary was heading west on Highway 12 in a GMC Sierra about 5:15 p.m., the Washington State Patrol said in a traffic memo. McGary allegedly hit the guardrail and lost control of the pickup about six miles east of Wallula Junction.
He overcorrected and crossed the center line and ended up in the eastbound lane, where he collided with a Mercury Mariner, the Washington State Patrol said.
The Mariner’s driver, Gustavo Guzman Gomez, 34, of Moses Lake, and the two passengers — Nashiely Bustamante, 27, and a 6-month-old boy, both also from Moses Lake — died at the scene.
Neither of the adults were wearing seat belts.
McGary was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center and his condition was not immediately available.
Investigators have not determined why McGary hit the guardrail. They didn’t rule out intoxication.
This story was originally published December 26, 2025 at 10:02 AM.