Traffic Fatality on State Route 17 In Okanogan County Under Investigation

An accident on SR 17 in Okanogan County Friday afternoon injured four people and left one young man dead.

Forty eight year old Tonya L. Turner who was driving a gray 2013 Dodge Grand mini van, rear ended 27 year old Daniel Martiniez Pio, who was driving a silver 1999 Mazda Protege Sedan, as he was making a left turn onto Jack Wells Road off State Route 17 near Bridgeport. Washington State Patrol Public Information Officer Jeremy Weber says distracted driving could be a factor in the accident. "The passenger vehicle was trying to take a left onto Jack Wells Road, and upon doing that, the causing driver, which was a mini van, then collided into that vehicle."

One of Pio's passengers, 22 year old Martin N. Aguilar Chavez was declared dead at the scene.

Turner, Pio, and his passengers 22 year old Roberto C. Aguilar, and 33 year old Eduardo Saucedo Tinoco were taken to Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster. Due to the severity of his injuries, Tinoco was airlifted to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee. Everyone involved was wearing their seatbelts.

Weber says the accident is under investigation. "There was a fatality involved, and the road was blocked for approximately three hours," he said. "Everything is still under investigation." Charges are pending against Turner.

No alcohol or drugs were involved.

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