71-year-old driver ID’d as victim of Richland crash into Highway 240 bridge

A 71-year-old Pasco man has been identified as the driver who died Sunday morning after hitting a Richland bridge abutment.

Christopher J. Quandt was speeding and driving erratically west on Columbia Park Trail about 9:20 a.m. when he hit the Highway 240 overpass bridge, spun and flipped several times, said Benton County coroner and Richland police.

Chief Deputy Coroner Dennis Morris said Quandt wasn’t wearing his seat belt at the time and ended up being trapped by the car.

An American Medical Response ambulance was in the area and stopped to help Quandt. But Richland police said he died at the scene near the Ben Franklin Transit headquarters at the Richland “Y.”

What caused him to crash is still under investigation. An autopsy is planned for Tuesday, Coroner Bill Leach said.

The west end entrance to Columbia Park Trail was closed for several hours on Sunday while police investigated.

Richland police are asking anyone who may have seen Quandt driving or the crash to call the non-emergency dispatch number 509-628-0333. They have yet to release more information on the incident, including the type of car he was driving.

Quandt does have an previous conviction from 2011 for running from Pasco police in a stolen car and hitting a patrol car. He was sentenced to nearly three years in prison. He denied hitting the officer, but admitted to driving a car he knew was stolen.

This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 10:31 AM.