Two dead, two injured following hit-and-run wreck, pursuit
Identification pending of deceased in suspect vehicle.
MOSES LAKE — Two people were killed and two others were injured late Sunday afternoon in the Moses Lake area in separate vehicle collisions that stemmed from a hit-and-run incident and ensuing pursuit by Grant County sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement.
Names of the two deceased individuals were being withheld pending notification of their families, the Washington State Patrol announced last night.
The related incidents began around 4:40 p.m. Sunday, April 19, when a white Toyota Corolla sedan was merging between State Route 17 and Stratford Road. The Toyota struck a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Savana R. Oliphant, 19, Moses Lake, who was traveling in an adjacent lane, said WSP troopers.
The impact caused the Jeep to leave the roadway and strike a light pole, then roll before coming to rest in a ditch adjacent to the highway. Oliphant, who was wearing a seatbelt, sustained unspecified injuries and was transported to Samaritan Hospital.
The Toyota fled the scene onto Stratford Road, said troopers. Area law enforcement was notified of the felony hit-and-run incident and the suspect vehicle was located about one-half hour later.
Sheriff’s deputies engaged in a pursuit that was eastbound on Road 3-NE. About nine miles east of Moses Lake, near the intersection of Road U-NE, the Toyota crossed the center line and collided head-on with a westbound 2005 Dodge Ram pickup driven by Nevin J. Anderson, 24, Warden, according to the WSP report.
Both the male driver of the Toyota and a passenger in the car were pronounced dead at the scene. It was undetermined whether either occupant was wearing a seatbelt.
Anderson, who was wearing a seatbelt, was injured and transported to Samaritan Hospital.
Because deputies were involved, the sheriff’s office asked the State Patrol to investigate the incident.
Road 3-NE was temporarily closed while the initial investigation was underway.
This morning, Grant County coroner Craig Morrison said autopsies of the two deceased individuals are scheduled Tuesday with results and identifications pending sometime afterward.
