12 Injured When Semi-Truck Hits Small Bus On SR-24 Near Mattawa

********* UPDATE @ 12:55 PM ON 10/22/26 ***********

Twelve people have injuries following a two-vehicle accident in Grant County on Thursday morning.

The Washington State Patrol says it happened at around 6:35 a.m. on State Route 24 (SR-24) about 10 miles east of Mattawa, when a tanker truck driven by 28-year-old David Ramos-Leal of Moses Lake collided with a minibus driven by 55-year-old Rene Ortiz-Baez of Yakima.

A dozen passengers on the bus sustained unspecified injuries, with seven being transported to Kadlec Medical Center in Richland, three being transported to Trios Hospital in Kennewick, and the remaining two being treated at the scene.

The only other passenger on the bus escaped without injury, along with Ramos-Leal and Ortiz-Baez, who were also uninjured.

Trooper Jeremy Weber tells KPQ News that all of the passengers on the minibus are migrant farm workers.

A report from the State Patrol indicates intoxicants did not play a role in the crash, which was caused when Ortiz-Baez ran a stop sign at the highway's junction with Road 24 Southwest.

Troopers say charges are pending against Ortiz-Baez.

As of this report, the accident had closed a portion of SR-24 for over six hours as investigators work the scene.

********* ORIGINAL POST @ 9:25 AM ON 10/22/26 ************

The Washington State Patrol is reporting that 11 people have been injured in a two-vehicle accident in Grant County this morning.

Trooper Jeremy Weber tells KPQ News the collision occurred at around 6:45 a.m. at the intersection of State Route 24 (SR-24) and Road 24 Southwest about 10 miles east of Mattawa, when a tanker truck smashed into a minibus carrying a load of migrant farm workers.

The crash caused injuries to a total of 11 people involved in the accident, but Weber couldn't say if the driver of either vehicle are among them or how many passengers were on the bus at the time of the crash.

All 11 of the injured have been transported to area hospitals for treatment, but their current medical status is not known.

Weber says SR-24 is expected to be closed into the late morning and possibly early afternoon hours while investigators work the scene, and more details will be released later today, including how the incident occurred.

This is a developing story. Check back with this page for more information as it becomes available.