Driver distracted by phone causes 3-car head-on crash in Kennewick
A 36-year-old driver was distracted by his cellphone when he caused a three-car pileup near the Benton County Fairgrounds, said the Washington State Patrol.
Carlos J. Espinoza of Kennewick was heading south on Highway 397 about 8 a.m. when he looked at his phone and drifted into the oncoming lane Thursday, Trooper Daniel Mosqueda told the Tri-City Herald.
His Mitsubishi Outlander crashed head-on with a Ford F-150 pickup, pushing it into a semi-trick near 10th Avenue.
Espinoza, who wasn’t wearing a seat belt, was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center. The Ford’s driver, Roger D. Rohus, 39, of Kennewick, was taken to Trios Southridge Hospital.
The semi-driver, Atenael V. Nava, 46, of Kennewick, was not hurt.
The crash blocked all the lanes of the highway for about an hour between Third and 10th avenues, Kennewick police said in a Facebook post.
Espinoza was cited for second-degree negligent driving and for not wearing a seat belt.