Benton City man charged with rolling truck into ravine while driving drunk

A 41-year-old man is believed to have been drunk when his pickup busted through a guardrail and landed in a ravine south of Benton City.

Noah Van Sickle and his passenger, a 43-year-old woman, were lying next to the ruined truck in the cold in Webber Canyon before they were discovered about 7:49 a.m. on Friday, according to court documents.

Amid the debris left from the crash, police found two unopened bottles of beer, according to court documents. They also allegedly smelled alcohol coming from Van Sickle.

Both he and the woman were hurt, and had to be taken to a local hospital.

Over the weekend, Van Sickle was booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of vehicular assault and failing to use an ignition interlock device.

His bail is set at $50,000.

Van Sickle has a history of driving without a license and DUI as recently as January 2022, according to public records.

Webber Canyon crash

Van Sickle and his passenger had spent the night before the crash “having fun” and driving through the back roads in the county, according to court documents.

The woman told investigators they had been drinking and were headed back to Benton City when the crash happened.

The investigator believed Van Sickle overcorrected before the truck skidded sideways into and through the barrier. The truck then rolled as it went into the ravine.

Along the way, the wrecked truck left a stream of debris that included at least two unopened beer bottles.

The woman wasn’t wearing her seat belt and was thrown from the truck, according to court documents. She was left with a broken leg, and her face and hands were bruised.

The deputy said Van Sickle was also seriously injured, and wasn’t able to walk away from the scene. His injuries were being assessed at the time of the report..

Someone reported seeing the truck in the ravine at about 7:50 a.m., and when the deputy started searching, he heard Van Sickle calling for help.

Both Van Sickle and the woman were taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center.

The deputy also learned that Van Sickle allegedly bought the truck in August.

Both initially claimed someone else was driving, but after pressing the issue, the woman allegedly said Van Sickle was behind the wheel when the crash happened.

He continued to deny that he was driving during the crash.

Blood alcohol test results were not included in court documents.