Man dies when tractor rolls into canal
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 2 weeks AGO
A Mattawa man died when his tractor rolled into an irrigation canal Friday.
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. | September 8, 2026 10:54 AM
MATTAWA — A Mattawa man died Sept. 4 when the farm tractor he was riding rolled into an irrigation canal, trapping him underneath it.
Ricardo Estrada, 49, was pronounced dead at the scene, near the 23000 block of Road K Southwest, said Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
“He got too close to the edge of the canal. The bank gave way," Foreman said.
The tractor rolled into the water, trapping Estrada's legs, Foreman said, and neither his fellow workers nor emergency response crews could get him out in time.
The canal was a branch off the main canals and relatively smaller, he said, but still dangerous.
"It appears to be not much movement, when in fact the current is fast enough to carry you downstream," Foreman said.
With the conditions around irrigation canals, caution is called for, he said. "Chances are we're not going to get to you in time to rescue you," he said.
An autopsy is pending.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Ten injured in Mattawa-area bus collision
MATTAWA — Ten people were injured, with nine transported to local hospitals, after a bus driver allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign and hit a semi pulling two trailers east of Mattawa early Thursday morning. Rene Ortiz Baez, 55, Yakima, was driving the bus east on Road 24 Southwest at about 6:40 a.m. Thursday when he failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of SR 24, according to a press memo from the Washington State Patrol. The bus hit a semi pulling two trailers driven by David Ramos-Leal, 28, Moses Lake. The collision occurred about 12 miles east of Mattawa.
Quincy council discusses tax income, outgo
QUINCY — A public hearing on a potential increase in Quincy's property tax assessment prompted a discussion of income and expenses at the regular Quincy City Council meeting Tuesday. All Washington cities have the option to raise property taxes on a portion of the city's total assessed valuation. Quincy Finance Director Carrie Lnenicka estimated that about $5.6 million was eligible to be taxed. The city is allowed to raise its property tax on that amount by up to 1%, which Lnenicka estimated would generate about $56,580. That's the maximum the city can collect, she said. Because of that, the actual tax levy rate will decrease if property valuations increase.
Warden man injured in tractor-trailer collision with train
BRUCE — A Warden man was transported to an out-of-area hospital after the tractor-trailer he was driving was hit by a train near Bruce at about noon Tuesday. "The extent of the driver's injuries is not known at this time," wrote Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner in a media release. "Preliminary information indicates the semi-truck was traveling above the speed limit and failed to obey posted requiring traffic to yield at the railroad crossing. The train was traveling at a slow speed," Wagner said. "He was moving. He wasn't stuck on the tracks," he said in an earlier interview.