Crime

2 teens seriously hurt in 2 a.m. crash with tanker truck in Pasco

Two men were seriously hurt after a tanker turned in front of them on Highway 12.
Two men were seriously hurt after a tanker turned in front of them on Highway 12. Courtesy Washington State Patrol

Two Pasco teens were seriously hurt after a semi-truck pulling a tanker turned in front of them early Tuesday in Pasco.

Jim Lopez, 44, of Moxee, was heading east on Highway 12 about 2:50 a.m. when he started to turn left onto Tank Farm Road near the Snake River bridge, the Washington State Patrol said in a traffic memo.

He turned in front of an oncoming Infiniti G37, which collided with the truck and trailer.

The driver and passenger in the car, Felipe M. Yacuta Bermudez and Kevin Arevalo Silva, both 18, were injured and taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, said the WSP. Their conditions were not immediately available.

Arevalo Silva was not wearing a seat belt but the other two were, said investigators.

Tank Farm Road is next to the Snake River on the border of Franklin and Walla Walla counties. Tank Farm Road feeds into Tidewater Terminal Co.., where gas, renewable diesel, biodiesel and ethanol arrive on river barges and then are shipped by trucks.

Lopez was cited for failing to yield.

This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 11:10 AM.

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Cameron Probert
Tri-City Herald
Cameron Probert covers breaking news for the Tri-City Herald, where he tries to answer reader questions about why police officers and firefighters are in your neighborhood. He studied communications at Washington State University.https://mycheckout.tri-cityherald.com/subscribe?ofrgp_id=394&g2i_or_o=Event&g2i_or_p=Reporter&cid=news_cta_0.99-1mo-15.99-on-article_202404
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