Vernita Bridge Blocked For Over 9 Hours After Semi-Truck Collides With Car, Injuring One

Traffic is flowing normally again over the only span across the Columbia River between Grant and Benton Counties, after a three-vehicle accident closed it for most of the day on Monday.

The Washington State Patrol says the crash occurred at around 5:40 a.m. on State Route 24 midway across the Vernita Bridge, when a sedan driven by 42-year-old Zachary C. Holder of Richland crossed the center line and sideswiped another sedan driven by 40-year-old Rogelio Cardenas of Desert Aire.

The impact forced Cardenas' vehicle into the path of an oncoming semi driven by 45-year-old Lwin Maung of Las Vegas, Nev.

Cardenas sustained serious injuries when the semi struck his vehicle, and he was transported to Kadlec Medical Center in Richland for treatment, while Holder and Maung were uninjured.

Troopers say it does not appear that intoxicants played a role in the collision, which was caused by Holder, who was issued a citation for negligent driving.

The wreck caused the semi to spill oil on the bridge, which was closed for over nine hours while crews cleaned up the highway.