Hit-and-run east of Othello injures four
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
A car rolled down an embankment at the SR 26-Highway 295 intersection after the driver attempted to avoid another car. The Washington State Patrol is looking for a compact silver SUV that fled the scene.
COURTESY PHOTO/ADAMS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | August 14, 2025 6:19 PM
OTHELLO — Four people were transported to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland after they were injured in a crash about 20 miles east of Othello on Wednesday. One of the drivers involved in the three-car collision fled the scene.
Nelly Kereiyian, 32, Pullman, and Timothy Oronge, 41, Everett, a 6-year-old boy and a 10-year-old boy were transported to Kadlec after the van they were in rolled down an embankment, according to a statement from the Washington State Patrol. Passengers Fatina Jepleting, 26, and Erick Kayioni, 37, both of Pullman, were unhurt, the WSP wrote.
Kereiyian was driving east on state Route 26 at the Highway 395 overpass at about 5 p.m. Wednesday when a vehicle heading stopped at the top of the Highway 295 offramp pulled out in front of her, the statement said. Kereiyian attempted to avoid the vehicle and lost control, crossing into the eastbound lane.
Her SUV was hit by a pickup driven by Dustin Reichert, 45, Sagle, Idaho. Kereiyian’s vehicle hit the guardrail and rolled down the embankment. Reichert was not injured, the WSP wrote.
The driver of the car that pulled out in front of Kereiyian stopped briefly, but then left the scene, the WSP statement said. The car was described as a silver compact SUV.
“We are still looking for that smaller SUV,” said Greg Riddell, WSP District Four public information officer. “We’re hoping to gather some video.”
Riddell said anyone with information on the crash can contact the investigating officer, Nathanael Romaneschi, 509-227-6566.
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