4 family members killed in Dodson Road crash with tractor-trailer
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 1 week AGO
The victims in a collision near Royal City Tuesday have been identified as members of a Tacoma family.
FILE PHOTO
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. | July 29, 2026 1:12 PM
ROYAL CITY — Four members of a Tacoma family were killed and one critically injured when they ran into a truck at around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon at the intersection Frenchman Hills Road West and Dodson South, about eight miles north of Royal City.
Martin Tran, 34; Joseph Tran, 69; Theresa Tran, 66; and Thomas Tran, 39; were pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, said Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, in a media release. Michael Tran, no age given, was seriously injured and transported by air to a Tri-Cities hospital.
“Based on the investigation so far, a 2018 Honda Civic traveling east on Frenchman Hills Road entered the intersection and collided with a tractor-trailer combination traveling south on Dodson Road,” Foreman said.
Felipe Avalos, 68, Walla Walla, was driving the truck. He was injured, along with his passengers Rosa Amador, 71, and two children, six and seven years of age. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, Foreman said. They were transported to Samaritan Hospital for treatment.
“The intersection is controlled by stop signs with flashing red LED lamps and rumble strips for eastbound and westbound traffic on Frenchman Hills Road. Traffic on Dodson Road has the right of way,” Foreman said.
The case is still under investigation.
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