Horrific 7-car crash in west Pasco kills 1. A driver is on the run

Police are searching for a driver accused of triggering a seven-car pileup on Interstate 182 in Pasco Saturday night that left one Mid-Columbia woman dead.

Cars and pickups in the eastbound and westbound lanes of the interstate were involved in the crash about 8:30 p.m. Four other people were hurt and taken to area hospitals, said the Washington State Patrol.

All lanes of the interstate were not fully reopened until 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

WSP investigators believe the driver of a 2004 blue Chrysler Sebring caused the collision and then abandoned the car and ran. No suspect had been arrested by Sunday afternoon.

The Chrysler was driving east on the interstate and was between the Road 68 and Road 100 exits when it hit a Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV also headed east on the rain-slick roadway.

The driver of the SUV, Kimberly Youngblood, 44, of Benton City, died before she could be taken to a hospital, said the state patrol.

After her SUV was hit, she crossed into oncoming traffic in the westbound lanes of the interstate, and was hit again in a pileup with five more vehicles.

11 drivers and passengers

The other vehicles included a Mustang driven by Michelle Scheuerman, 48, of Pasco; a Nissan Altima driven by Omar Lopez, 33, of Pasco; a Nissan Sentra driven by Rosa Valenzuela, 25, of Pasco; a Dodge Ram pickup driven by Jose Monje-Canales, 27, of Pasco; and a Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by Brian Corbin, 48, of Richland.

The first three — Scheuerman, Lopez and Valenzuela — were taken to the hospital, along with a passenger in Lopez’s car, Nallely Lopez, 31, of Pasco.

Omar Lopez, who was flown to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, according to the state patrol. He was listed in satisfactory condition on Sunday.

Kadlec Regional Medical Center officials said Sunday morning that Nallely Lopez was in satisfactory condition and that Valenzuela had been released after being treated. No information was available on Scheuerman’s condition.

Three other passengers in the two pickups were not injured, including 12- and 13-year-old Richland boys in Corbin’s pickup and Yeymi Cortez, 27, of Pasco, in the other pickup.

The right lane of Interstate 182 was closed after the crash while troopers investigated and the damaged vehicles were removed.

This story was originally published February 3, 2019 at 10:41 AM.