Teen girl killed in fiery crash as driver tried to pass semi trucks on Hanford Reach monument

A 15-year-old Mattawa girl who was a passenger in a vehicle driven by another teen was killed and three other people were hurt in a crash that happened as the teen driver was attempting to pass two semi trucks on the Hanford Reach National Monument.

Witnesses said Felix N. Rangel Diaz, 18, of Mattawa, kept passing traffic around 5 a.m. Thursday along Highway 24 — a two-lane highway that runs through south Grant County, north Benton County and into Adams County.

Rangel Diaz was heading east and was cresting a hill when he slammed into a PT Cruiser occupied by a husband and wife in their 60s, Kenneth and Karen Crawford, of Mesa, heading in the opposite direction, said Washington State Patrol Trooper John Bryant.

The crash killed the teen’s 15-year-old passenger and the cars burst into flames.

Rangel Diaz and the Crawfords were flown to Kadlec Regional Medical Center with serious injuries, WSP said.

Highway 24 was closed from the Vernita Bridge on Columbia River to the Adams County line for more than five hours while police investigated.

This story was originally published August 1, 2019 at 9:58 AM.