A 37-year-old Connell woman was killed and four other people were injured Tuesday evening when a pickup truck slammed into her car on Booker Road, setting off a chain-reaction crash with a third vehicle on State Route 17 near Mesa, Washington. Jessica Zarate was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash happened at about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday at State Route 17 and Booker Road, according to Columbia Basin Herald, which places the collision roughly 12 miles south of Othello. NBC Right Now describes the same intersection as being about 11 miles north of Mesa, citing Washington State Patrol.
How the Crash Unfolded
According to Washington State Patrol, as relayed by NBC Right Now, a Toyota Tundra and Zarate's Chevrolet Malibu were both traveling southbound on Booker Road toward State Route 17 when the Toyota struck the Malibu. The impact sent Zarate's car into a Nissan Sentra that was heading northbound on State Route 17, the station reports.
Four people besides Zarate were hurt in the crash. Per the same account, the driver of the Nissan Sentra, two juveniles, and an unidentified passenger riding with Zarate were all transported to Othello Community Hospital for treatment.
Driver's Identity and Pending Charges
Columbia Basin Herald reports that charges are pending against a Kennewick man identified as the Toyota driver. Newstalk 870, however, reports that Washington State Patrol identified the driver as 61-year-old John Daniel Reiss and says he was booked into jail on a vehicular homicide charge; Columbia Basin Herald lists his age as 62. The outlets' accounts of his age and booking status differ, and neither has been independently resolved.
Sources also diverge on what caused the crash. Newstalk 870 reports that Washington State Patrol confirmed drugs and/or alcohol caused the collision, while Columbia Basin Herald reports that a state patrol press memo said intoxicating substances were a factor in the crash. NBC Right Now, meanwhile, reports that the cause of the crash remained under investigation, according to the agency.
Zarate's death marks the latest fatal crash in the rural stretch of Franklin County where State Route 17 and Booker Road meet. No further updates on the Kennewick man's charges or the investigation's findings had been reported as of Wednesday.
