Suspect in court after 2nd child dies from I-182 wreck that killed mother, toddler
A 37-year-old man showed up in court for the first time after allegedly killing a woman and two children in a drunken crash on Interstate 182.
Zachary N. Schwartz of Yakima appeared by video from the Franklin County jail Monday afternoon. His forearm was in a cast after officials say he broke it during Friday’s fatal collision.
He is being held in lieu of $250,000 on suspicion of three counts of vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault.
Investigators believe Schwartz got onto the interstate at the 20th Avenue off-ramp about 5:30 p.m., Washington State Patrol Lt. Dustin Drout told the Tri-City Herald.
The crash killed 39-year-old Guadalupe Vergara Gonzalez of Pasco, and a 22-month old toddler nearly instantly. A 6-year-old boy was left brain dead after the wreck. He later died at a local hospital.
Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant asked for the bail amount based on the seriousness of the charges. He said Schwartz could face between 12 and 16 years in prison.
Schwartz could easily repeat the crash if he was allowed out of jail without bail, Sant said.
Defense Attorney Michael Nguyen didn’t make an argument about bail.
Schwartz doesn’t appear to have any criminal history, Sant said.
Superior Court Judge Bronson Brown agreed with Sant. He also ordered that if he’s released he will need to have a portable breathalyzer to make sure he isn’t drinking.
Crash
It’s still unknown how much Schwartz allegedly had to drink before he got behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang.
He ended up going east in the westbound lanes and crashed into a 2014 Honda Civic between Fourth Avenue and northbound Highway 395, the Washington State Patrol said in a traffic memo.
The crash killed the woman and the two children, and the Civic’s driver, Rodrigo Torres-Gonzalez, 42, of Pasco, was taken to Lourdes Medical Center.
A GoFundMe for the family has raised $43,000 in the two days since the crash. The fundraiser was organized by Elizabeth Labra, Vergara Gonzalez’s sister-in-law. The money is going to pay for funeral services for the woman and her two children.
This story was originally published December 30, 2024 at 11:39 AM.