A 32-year-old Wapato woman died Wednesday evening after the pickup truck she was riding in crossed into oncoming traffic on State Route 24 near Moxee and collided with two semi-trucks. Jamaica Castro was a passenger in a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado that struck one semi head-on before a second big rig slammed into the wreckage moments later.
According to the Yakima Herald, Castro was riding eastbound on State Route 24 near Morrier Lane around 6:14 p.m. when the Silverado drifted into oncoming traffic and hit a 2011 Volvo VN semi-truck pulling two trailers, citing a Washington State Patrol news release. Apple Valley News Now separately described troopers responding to a reported crash on State Route 24 just west of Moxee near Birchfield Road, a detail that has not been reconciled with the Yakima Herald's account of the location near Morrier Lane.
After that initial impact, a 2003 Peterbilt 379 also pulling two trailers then struck the Silverado, according to the same report. Castro died at the scene, the release said, while the Silverado's driver, 35-year-old Cristian M. González, was taken to MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Drivers Hospitalized, One Escapes Injury
The Peterbilt's driver, 46-year-old Jaime Contreras of Wapato, was also taken to the Yakima hospital following the crash. The Volvo's driver, 21-year-old Héctor Altamirano of Wapato, was not injured, the report notes.
Troopers said intoxicants were not a factor in the crash, and that the cause remains under investigation, per the same account. Washington State Patrol officials are continuing to investigate the fatal crash involving the SUV and two semi-trucks.
A Pattern Of Deadly Crashes Along SR 24
Wednesday's crash is not the first fatal collision between a vehicle and a semi-truck on that stretch of highway. A previous deadly crash on SR 24 through Moxee closed roads before they later reopened, according to NBC Right Now. In that earlier incident at the intersection of SR 24 and Bell Road, a Washington State Patrol press memo said 23-year-old Daniela Torres of Moxee failed to yield the right of way, hit a semi-truck, and died as a result.
Fatal crashes involving semi-trucks have also occurred elsewhere in the state. FOX 13 Seattle reported police investigating a deadly crash involving two semi-trucks on westbound Interstate 90 near North Bend, in which a log-truck driver died and the other truck's driver was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
