Five dead, six injured in two Basin collisions Tuesday

EPHRATA — Five people were killed and six others injured in two separate collisions on Columbia Basin roadways Tuesday.

At 4:19 p.m., Grant County sheriff’s deputies and other emergency personnel responded to a two-vehicle collision on Dodson Road at the intersection of Frenchman Hills Road West, about eight miles northeast of Royal City.

According to the sheriff’s report, 34-year-old Martin Tran was driving east on Frenchman Hills Road in a 2018 Honda Civic with four family members, all from Tacoma. Tran entered the marked intersection where the Honda collided with a semi-tractor and trailer driven by Felipe Avalos of Walla Walla, who was southbound on Dodson Road.

Tran and three passengers — Joseph Tran, 69; Theresa Tran, 66; and Thomas Tran, 39 — all sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth passenger, Michael Tran, was critically injured and airlifted to Kadlec Hospital in the Tri-Cities.

Avalos and three passengers in the semi — Rosa Amador, 71, and two children, ages 6 and 7 — also sustained injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. They were transported to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake for medical care.

It was noted there are stop signs, rumble strips, and flashing red lights for both eastbound and westbound traffic on Frenchman Hills Road at the intersection of Dodson Road, where north- and southbound motorists have the right-of-way.

The intersection was initially closed to through traffic but later reopened. An investigation remains ongoing by the sheriff’s office Motor Traffic Unit. Other cooperating agencies included MACC 911 dispatch, Royal Slope Fire Rescue EMS, Lifeline Ambulance, Life Flight Network, Grant County Public Works and the Grant County Coroner’s Office.

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In a separate accident, the Washington State Patrol was notified at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday of a two-vehicle collision on State Route 26 about five miles east of Othello.

Troopers said Glen E. Bridgmon, 69, of Pasco, was driving south on Booker Road and failed to stop at the highway intersection stop sign.

Bridgmon’s 2024 Ford F-350 pickup collided with a 2019 International LT625 semi-tractor and trailer driven by Andres F. Lozada-Rojas, 26, of Vancouver, who was eastbound on SR 26.

The impact caused both vehicles to roll and come to rest on the highway’s southeast shoulder.

According to the WSP report, Bridgmon was pronounced dead at the scene while Lozada-Rojas sustained unspecified injuries and was airlifted to Kadlec Hospital in the Tri-Cities. Both drivers were wearing seat belts.

The Ford and the International were each totaled and towed from the scene.