Two dead after collisions near Moses Lake
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months, 2 weeks AGO
A collision near Moses Lake left a driver and a passenger dead Sunday afternoon.
COURTESY PHOTO/WASHINGTON STATE PATROL
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | April 20, 2026 9:41 AM
MOSES LAKE — Two collisions left a driver and passenger dead on Road 3 Northeast near Moses Lake Sunday afternoon, according to Grant County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman.
At about 4:45 p.m., the Washington State Patrol responded to a report of a felony hit-and-run collision on state Route 17 at the Stratford Road intersection, according to a statement from the WSP.
An unidentified male driving a 2003 Toyota Corolla attempted to exit SR 17 at the same time as Savana R. Oliphant, 19, of Moses Lake. Oliphant was transported to Samaritan Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“The initial crash was a felony hit-and-run, because (the other driver) sustained injuries,” said WSP Trooper Jeremy Weber. “Had (she) not sustained injuries, it wouldn’t make it a felony.”
The unidentified driver fled the scene with Grant County Sheriff’s deputies in pursuit.
“The pursuit ended up going eastbound on Wheeler Road/Road 3 out into the county and deputies say the vehicle crossed over the center line, stayed on the opposite side of the road and collided with a service truck,” Foreman said.
The collision occurred at the intersection of Road 3 and Road U Northeast, according to the WSP.
The driver and his passenger were deceased at the scene, according to the WSP. The driver of the truck, Nevin J. Anderson, 24, of Warden, was transported to Samaritan Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Both Anderson and Oliphant were wearing seat belts, according to the WSP; it was unknown whether the deceased were. Neither drugs nor alcohol was a factor in the collision.
Neither the driver nor the passenger was identified pending notification of next of kin Monday afternoon. Because the incident involved GCSO deputies, the WSP's Major Accident Investigation Team, or MAIT, will conduct the investigation.
“In our world of investigation, they’re the best of the best,” Weber said.
This story was updated at 5:45 p.m. on April 20.
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