Blowing dust causes six vehicles to crash near Moses Lake, injuring four

Four people were injured in a six-vehicle crash in Grant County Sunday morning caused by blowing dust.

Trooper Jeremy Weber of the Washington State Patrol says it happened around 11:15 a.m. on State Route 17 about five miles south of Moses Lake.

“There were five cars heading north. The car in front slowed to avoid colliding with a stopped vehicle, causing a chain reaction of rear-end collisions with three of the following vehicles. The last vehicle then turned into the oncoming lane to avoid the pileup and a collision with a southbound car.

60-year-old Jose Gonzalez of Moses Lake, 24-year-old Daisy D. Cantu of Othello, 19-year-old Cohen W. Cardwell of Pasco and 15-year-old Lucas Cardwell – also of Pasco – were all injured in the collisions and taken to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake for treatment. The other six people involved in the accident remained uninjured.

None of the drivers involved were cited as causing the accident, which Weber said could have been avoided if drivers had slowed down and increased their following distance in poor driving conditions.