2 cars land in Benton County canals. 2 other crashes close busy Kennewick retail streets
Tri-Cities law enforcement agencies were busy responding to crashes this weekend, including two cars that drove into dry canals, a suspected DUI collision on Highway 395 north of Pasco and two accidents that closed busy Kennewick streets.
About 7:40 p.m. Saturday, a Ford Ranger pickup was heading north on Highway 395 about eight miles north of Pasco.
The pickup, driven by Johnathen Cole, 51, of Moses Lake, left the road to the left and rolled, according to Washington State Police.
Franklin Fire District 3 was among agencies responding and said the driver was trapped, but able to stand up inside the vehicle that had come to rest on its side.
Cole was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, according to the WSP, which said he is under investigation for DUI.
Cars in canals
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office was called out to two incidents in which cars were driven into canals.
A minivan drove down a dirt farm road the reached a T-intersection at a canal, but failed to turn and landed upside down in the dry canal.
The crash was near North Griffin Road and Snipes Road northwest of Prosser.
Multiple people in the van were injured and taken to hospitals, according to the sheriff’s office. All were in stable condition Sunday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.
The crash is being investigated as a possible vehicular assault and DUI.
It did not say when the crash happened, but photos posted Sunday morning on social media showed Ken’s Auto Rescue righting the minivan and pulling it up the canal embankment.
The sheriff’s office also posted a photo of a sedan that drove into a canal and got stuck Friday night. The driver left the car there.
Canal property was damaged and the incident is being investigated as a hit and run, according to the sheriff’s office. It did not disclose the location in a social media post.
Kennewick Gage Blvd. closed
Police responded Saturday evening to what the department called a “serious collision” in the heavily traveled 8500 block of West Gage Boulevard just west of the Columbia Center mall.
The road was closed in both directions from West Grandridge Boulevard to North Louisiana Street, with the closure lasting for a couple of hours, according to the Kennewick Police Department’s social media posts.
Further information was not immediately available on the weekend.
Kennewick Ave. closed
A vehicle versus motorcycle crash on West Kennewick Avenue early Sunday afternoon closed part of the street to westbound traffic until about 1:30 p.m.
The closure was west of South Huntington Street.
Kennewick police reported no life-threatening injuries as it continued to investigate Sunday afternoon.
