Fatal crash occurred on state Highway 261
WASHTUCNA — A local resident was killed and another injured in a head-on crash Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 5.
Sally J. Graves, 76, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near Milepost 57 on state Highway 261, the Washington State Patrol said in an updated report. Garth A. Blauert, 57, was the driver of the second vehicle.
According to the patrol, Graves was northbound on the highway in a 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander at about 3:02 p.m. when her vehicle crossed the center line and struck Blauert's tractor-trailer head-on in the southbound lane in rural Adams County.
Graves was not wearing a seatbelt, the patrol said. Blauert was buckled in.
Blauert was not injured, the patrol said.
Neither drugs nor alcohol are believed to be factors in the crash, the patrol said.
BB Towing removed the Outlander from the scene and Agrifix towing removed the truck.
The highway was closed until about 11:30 p.m., the state Department of Transportation said.
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