Ephrata man killed in two-vehicle wreck, WSP reports
An impaired driver faces criminal charges following a two-vehicle collision that claimed the life of an Ephrata man Sunday evening.
EPHRATA — An alleged impaired driver faces criminal charges following a two-vehicle collision that claimed the life of an Ephrata man Sunday evening on State Route 283, about seven miles northeast of George, reported the Washington State Patrol.
Troopers said 53-year-old Alejandro Cartegena Hernandez was driving north on the highway near the intersection of Road 5-NW when his 2004 Ford F150 pickup was struck by an oncoming truck that crossed the centerline.
Hernandez, who was wearing a seatbelt, sustained fatal injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene, the WSP report stated.
The other driver was identified as 39-year-old Gerardo Silva Diaz of Quincy, who sustained unspecified injuries and was transported to Quincy Valley Hospital for medical care. It was undetermined whether he was wearing a seatbelt.
The incident was reported at 5:45 p.m. It remains under investigation, but troopers said alcohol or drugs were factors in the wreck and Diaz faces charges of driving under the influence and vehicular homicide.
Both the Ford pickup and a 2015 GMC pickup driven by Diaz were totalled and impounded by the State Patrol.
