Elderly Man Seriously Injured In Auto Wreck On SR-243

An elderly man received serious injuries after his pickup truck went off the roadway near Mattawa Tuesday morning.

Trooper Jeremy Weber with the Washington State Patrol says the accident occurred on State Route 243 at the roundabout just west of Mattawa.

“The driver failed to negotiate the roundabout and went straight over it and into the oncoming lane before he left the roadway.”

Eighty-year-old Roy L. Lomon of Pasco was reportedly driving too fast as entered the roundabout and caused the wreck.

He was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland.

Weber says Lomon was not wearing a seatbelt and, given that fact coupled with his age, it’s no surprise he was seriously hurt.

“When an elderly person’s not wearing their seatbelt – you don’t have to go too fast for someone to get hurt really bad.”

Weber says intoxicants did not play a role in the crash and it’s not believed that Lomon suffered a medical or mechanical issue.

Citations against Lomon are pending further investigation.