Speed and alcohol suspected in wreck that killed motorcyclist in Kennewick
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- Valeria Benitez Hernandez is jailed on suspicion of vehicular homicide with $200,000 bail.
- Officers noted she smelled of alcohol and field sobriety tests showed impairment.
- The crash killed 69-year-old motorcycle rider Donald “Garth” Rettinghouse.
A 19-year-old was believed to be drunk and speeding when she hit and killed a motorcycle rider in Kennewick Sunday.
Valeria Benitez Hernandez allegedly came to a stop 600 feet — the length of two football fields — past the point where her SUV first violently hit Donald “Garth” Rettinghouse, 69, about 8 p.m. on Columbia Drive.
Now Benitez-Hernandez of Kennewick is being held in the Benton County jail in lieu of $200,000 bail on suspicion of vehicular homicide.
Court documents provide more details about the crash that killed the U.S. Army veteran and avid motorcyclist near the on-ramps for Highways 240 and 395.
Benitez-Hernandez was in a Nissan Pathfinder with two passengers heading west on Columbia Drive, court documents said. She told investigators that she had just left Clover Island after being on a boat and was heading to Pasco.
The preliminary investigation showed that Rettinghouse pulled out in front of the Pathfinder from Jean Street and she hit the motorcycle, court documents said. Rettinghouse died at the scene, and one of Benitez-Hernandez’s passengers was hurt and taken to a local hospital.
The Pathfinder continued to Kent Street where it pulled over. She told investigators that she hit the brake shortly before the crash and kept it down until she pulled off the road, court documents said.
The Pathfinder was left with a broken axle and severe damage to the front.
While she said she was going 25 mph before the crash, Kennewick police Officer Sebastian Castilleja said in his affidavit that the damage to the car, the traumatic injury to Rettinghouse and the length of time before she stopped contradict that.
He didn’t give an estimate for how fast he believed she was going.
He also noticed that she smelled like alcohol. While she initially denied drinking, she later said she had a drink while on the boat.
Field sobriety tests showed that she was impaired, but she didn’t want to do a breath test.
She was taken to Trios Southridge Hospital where her blood was taken. The results of the blood tests were not immediately available.
Defense Attorney Scott Rodgers argued on Monday that the length that she traveled and the amount of damage, doesn’t prove that she was speeding.
He also noted that Benitez-Hernandez had the right of way.
Memorial for the American Legion member
Rettinghouse’s family returned to the scene of the crash on Tuesday morning as they placed a new memorial. They left a wooden cross with markers so people can leave messages about him.
He joined American Legion Post 34 in Kennewick in 2015 and was the longtime chaplain for the American Legion Riders, according to a heartfelt Facebook post by the American Legion.
They described him as a “friend to many” who greeted people with a smile and a hug.
Dozens of people responded online. Many of them commenting on how he made an impact on their lives, appreciating his stories.
“I don’t even know how to express how we are feeling right now,” the post said. “He will be sorely missed by us all. May he now rest in peace and out of the pain he has endured for years.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 2:54 PM.