One Killed, Two Injured In Three-Vehicle Crash Near Coles Corner

One person is dead and two others have injuries following a three-vehicle accident in Chelan County on Saturday afternoon.

The Washington State Patrol says it happened at around 4:30 p.m. near Coles Corner when an SUV driven by 42-year-old Yogesh Aggarwal of Beaverton, Oregon attempted a left-hand turn from U.S. Highway 2 (US-2) onto State Route 207 (SR-207) and was struck by an oncoming pickup truck driven by 60-year-old Joseph A. Cannata of Leavenworth.

The impact caused the SUV to roll and forced both vehicles to careen into a second SUV driven by 40-year-old Mary J. Pankievich of Selah, who was stopped at the junction of US-2 and SR-207.

A passenger in Aggarwal's vehicle, 43-year-old Monu Rekhi of Beaverton, Oregon, suffered traumatic injuries in the crash and was pronounced deceased at the scene, while Aggarwal and Pankievich were both injured and transported to Confluence Health Hospital in Wenatchee for treatment.

Cannata and two juvenile passengers in Pankievich's vehicle, ages 7 and 17, were all uninjured in the accident, which troopers say was caused by Aggarwal's failure to yield while attempting to turn.

A report from the State Patrol indicates intoxicants did not play a role in the wreck, which snarled traffic on both highways for several hours and remains under investigation.