A 58-year-old man is dead after losing control of the semi-truck he was driving and crashing south of Othello in Washington. His truck caught fire during the crash, spreading fire to nearby brush which moved dangerously close to a house in the vicinity before firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze. The Othello truck crash is just one of many fatal truck crashes that have taken place in the area in the month of May.
Quincy Man Killed in Fiery Othello Truck Crash
May 15, 2017
Fifty-eight-year-old Miguel A. Penado, of Quincy, was driving north on State Route 17 in a 2010 International Prostar semi-truck at approximately 1:57 p.m. when he lost control of his vehicle and veered left off the roadway.
According to Washington State Patrol (WSP), as Penado’s big rig left the road near milepost 23 the trailer separated from the truck. The semi then continued traveling off the road and parallel to it, eventually hitting a fence and power pole which stopped the vehicle in a yard.
Pressed against a pine tree in the yard and about 50 feet off State Route 17, the semi-truck caught fire and was soon fully engulfed. The fire quickly spread to surrounding vegetation and stretched close enough to threaten a nearby home. Firefighters responding to the scene were able to get control of the fire before it could damage the residence. Power lines were also taken out in the Othello truck crash.
WSP closed State Route 17 from milepost 28 to milepost 18 following the fatal crash, and it took firefighters until about 3:30 p.m. to put out the fire. At 4:40 p.m., State Trooper Brian Moore said that troopers would be investigating the crash for several hours.
Officials say Penado died of his injuries at the scene, but have not listed a cause for the crash, though they did say that neither drugs nor alcohol were factors.
Semi Truck Slams into Back of Car Near Algona, Killing One
May 15, 2017
The same day as the Othello truck crash and resulting fire, a 33-year-old Lake Tapps man was killed after a semi-truck hit his vehicle from behind and slammed it into the car in front of him. Scott Cricchio died in the crash, which happened around 7:00 p.m. on State Route 167, not far from Algona.
According to WSP, the semi-truck driver, Parminder Singh, a 62-year-old Vancouver resident, entered an off-ramp to Ellingson Road too quickly and couldn’t stop before hitting Cricchio’s car.
While Cricchio was the only fatality in the crash, a 26-year-old woman was hospitalized for injuries, and two other vehicles were involved. The investigation in the truck crash is ongoing, but drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors.
One Fatality After Tacoma Big Rig Crash on I-5
May 15, 2017
Only hours before the fatal rear-ending near Algona, another Tacoma truck crash with distressing similarities left a driver dead.
The accident occurred on I-5 near Gravelly Lake Drive SW around 1:00 in the morning. A broken-down vehicle that was stuck in the middle of the freeway was hit from behind by a semi-truck with a force strong enough to cause an underride accident (wherein a vehicle is pushed underneath a semi). The 27-year-old driver inside the stranded vehicle was killed in the crash.
WSP troopers closed multiple lanes of southbound I-5 in the accident area prior to the Monday morning commute, and say that the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Semi-Truck Driver Loses Control and Collides with Home Near Roy
May 14, 2017
The day before the Othello truck crash, a different truck driver lost control of his vehicle while driving north along State Route 507 in Washington. The 44-year-old semi-truck driver was not far from Roy when he lost control of his truck and slammed into a house. The home was severely damaged in the truck crash, but fortunately, there were no injuries to those inside. The truck driver was taken to the hospital for a medical issue, which is believed to be the cause of the crash although an investigation is still underway.
Head-On Collision with Truck on State Route 18 Results in Injuries
May 14, 2017
That same day, a 55-year-old Federal Way man sustained serious injuries after he hit a semi-truck while driving on State Route 18. The driver, Vladimir Russu, is believed to have crossed the center line and caused the head-on collision with the big rig.
The day following the truck accident, Russu was listed in stable condition at Harborview Medical Center. The semi-truck driver was also injured in the crash and was taken to Snoqualmie Valley Hospital.
Tacoma Truck Crash on I-5 Leads to One Fatality, while a Second Truck Accident Nearby Adds to Traffic Complications
May 11, 2017
Two truck crashes on I-5 in Washington caused chaos for drivers and left a man dead. The first occurred around 11:30 a.m. as a semi-truck traveled north on I-5 near S. 72nd Street. The semi hit a box truck traveling in front of it, which caused the box truck to then hit a car and an SUV. Swerving from the impact, the semi-truck collided with the Jersey barrier separating the different directions of I-5 traffic. During the accident, the cab of the semi became separated from the chassis and the trailer, and while both the trailer and cab came to a rest in the southbound lanes, the chassis ended up in the northbound lanes.
The semi-truck driver was killed in the crash, and minor injuries were sustained by some of the other drivers impacted by the Tacoma truck crash. Following the incident, traffic slowed to a near standstill, as only one or two lanes were open in each direction.
Further complicating matters was another truck accident on I-5 in Olympia. In that accident, a semi that had jackknifed while driving south blocked all southbound lanes. It was cleared in about an hour, but traffic was expected to remain slow for several hours.
Pedestrian Struck and Killed by Tractor-Trailer in Washington
May 6, 2017
A Wapato man attempting to cross U.S. 97 in the Wapato area died after being hit by a semi-truck traveling south. The incident occurred at about 9:50 p.m. as the Wapato man, 59-year-old Kirk Stewart, tried to cross from the left side of the road to the right. The 2016 Volvo semi-truck that hit him was driven by 55-year-old Vyacheslav Oliy, a Vancouver resident. Oliy did not sustain any injuries and has not been charged in the crash.