Quincy Man Charged With Vehicular Homicide In Mattawa Crash

One person is dead and another has injuries following a three-vehicle collision in Grant County on Tuesday afternoon.

The Washington State Patrol says it happened at just after 5 p.m. on State Route 243 about a mile north of Mattawa when a pickup truck driven by 32-year-old Dexter A. Christensen of Quincy rear-ended two sedans which had stopped on the highway while one was waiting to make a left turn at Road 23 Southwest.

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Both occupants of the turning sedan were uninjured, while the driver of the second sedan, 24-year-old Isidro Ibarra-Birrueta of Mattawa, was injured and airlifted to Confluence Health Hospital in Wenatchee.

Birrueta's passenger, 36-year-old Tranquilino Sandoval-Guerrero of Mattawa, was killed in the crash and pronounced deceased at the scene.

Troopers say Christensen caused the accident due to inattention by using his cellphone while at the wheel and has been charged with vehicular homicide.

The wreck snarled traffic on the highway while investigators worked the scene and the wreckage was cleared.