Girl died in Monday wreck

ROYAL CITY — A 6-year-old girl died in a wreck after her mother attempted to reach a cellphone.

The rollover accident took place eight miles northeast of Royal City on Monday night.

Carla P. Morales, 6, Moses Lake, was partially ejected from the vehicle her mother was driving, Grant County Undersheriff John Turley stated. Despite attempts to resuscitate the girl, she died.

Alma Rosa Avila-Juarez, 25, Moses Lake, was traveling northbound on Dodson Road South in her 1994 Nissan Maxima, Turley stated. Avila-Juarez reportedly told deputies she became distracted while reaching for her cellphone causing her to drift toward the west side of the roadway. She reportedly over corrected and lost control of the car.

“The Nissan left the roadway on the west side after briefly sliding sideways and rolled onto its top coming to a rest at the bottom of a steep, but short embankment,” Turley reported.

A 2-year-old boy and a 3-year-old boy were also in the car. They were properly restrained in booster seats, he stated. The sheriff’s office reported Carla was not properly seated in the appropriate child safety device.

“All four of the victims in this tragic accident were attended to by passing motorists and CPR was attempted on 6-year-old Carla but to no avail,” Turley stated. “Carla succumbed to her injuries at the scene. The other children suffered injuries but none were life threatening along with their mother. They were transported to Samaritan (Healthcare) in Moses Lake for treatment.”

Some of the first responders included an off-duty sheriff’s deputy, his wife and a nurse.

The father of the children was working for a nearby farmer and came to the scene where he was advised of the circumstances, Turley stated.

Carla attended school in the Royal City School District. The family recently moved to Moses Lake.