Pasco couple killed in crash near Union Gap
A Pasco couple were killed Friday afternoon when a large service pickup struck their car on the shoulder of Interstate 82 two miles east of Union Gap, the Washington State Patrol reported.
JoAn and Leonard Shure died at the scene, troopers said. She was 71; he was 66.
Leonard “Len” Shure was a sergeant at the Franklin County jail and a longtime employee at the jail, said Franklin County Sheriff Jim Raymond.
“We’re all in shock,” Raymond said. Officials were notifying Shure’s coworkers of his death Friday evening.
JoAn Shure was listed on LinkedIn as the co-founder of “Reaching Your Potential” & Associates, a nonprofit that works with businesses, churches and other nonprofits to identify and help people who want to overcome issues that have kept them from being successful. She also was listed as co-director of the media and resource center at GracePoint Church of God.
The couple rented studio apartments in Pasco to seniors.
According to the Herald’s archives, in the ’90s the couple regularly handed out chili dogs and served coffee on the corner of Lewis Street and First Avenue in Pasco as part of a church ministry.
The crash was reported about 12:46 p.m. and disrupted eastbound traffic for about three hours.
Patrol Lt. Kiley Conaway said detectives would investigate why the couple’s Cadillac CTS was on the shoulder and what caused pickup driver Brent A. Owens to strike it.
Owens, 39, of Yakima, was taken to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. His condition was not immediately available.
The 2006 Ford F-550 Owens was driving is typically used as an industrial service truck. Conaway said it was being used by an asphalt company, but he did not have the company’s name Friday evening.
Conaway said he did not know whether the Shures’ car was fully stopped or rolling on the shoulder when it was hit. Leonard Shure apparently was behind the wheel. The car was destroyed.
He said detectives would refer the case to Yakima County prosecutors for consideration of charges once they complete their investigation.
All three occupants were wearing seat belts.
This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Pasco couple killed in crash near Union Gap."