UPS Driver Who Killed Three In I-90 Crash Given 89 Months In Prison

A UPS driver who killed three people when he drove his truck into the oncoming lanes of Interstate-90 (I-90) near Cle Elum two years ago has been sentenced to over seven years in prison.

The Ellensburg Daily Record says the 89-month sentence was handed down to 45-year-old Danny Ray Ellingford in Kittitas County Superior Court by Judge Chris Herion on Tuesday.

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Ellingford was found guilty on three counts of vehicular homicide at the close of a jury trial on July 29 for the March, 2023 incident that killed 40-year-old Justin Poole, his 10-year-old daughter, Chelsea Poole, and 27-year-old Michaela Buckholt - and also injured Poole's 36-year-old wife, Nicole Poole, and the couple's 6-year-old son Maddox, who suffered traumatic brain damage in the crash.

The deaths and injuries occurred when Ellingford fell asleep at the wheel of the UPS semi truck he was operating at 11 miles over the posted speed limit crossed the center median on I-90 and collided with the sedan driven by Justin Poole.

At his trial, witnesses testified that Ellingford had repeatedly crossed the fog line and traveled over several sets of rumble strips before the collision occurred.

The Poole family and Buckholt, who was a relative, were headed back to their home in Yakima when the crash happened.

Prosecutors had sought an exceptional sentence of 20 years for Ellingford due to the severity of the incident, which not only killed three of the car's occupants and permanently injured another, but also found Buckholt trapped inside the vehicle for nearly an hour before she could be extricated and taken to a hospital.

Herion, however, levied a prison term that was at the upper end of the standard range, and included 12 months of probation after release.