Moses Lake man survives 69 foot fall

MOSES LAKE - A Moses Lake man, attempting to assist another driver involved in a collision, fell 69 feet down an embankment along Interstate 90.

It happened about two miles east of Moses Lake.

The incident occurred early Thursday morning when Dana Ray Coriell, 56, Moses Lake, pulled over on the shoulder to help Lionel Ward, 57, Cle Elum, the driver of a Jeep Cherokee, who had collided with the right hand guardrail, according to Washington State Patrol Sgt. Dave DeVere.

Coriell was driving a 1999 Dodge pickup truck when he got out of his car to help the Jeep driver.

Both cars were traveling westbound on I-90, according to Washington State Patrol.

As the drivers got out their vehicles, a semi truck, driven by John Thomas Lester, 46, Longbranch, collided with the Jeep Cherokee, pushing the car into the pickup truck, according to DeVere.

The truck pushed into Coriell, who was on the side of the road, and sent him roughly 69 feet down the embankment along I-90, according to DeVere.

"He was airborne for a while," said DeVere.

Coriell was transported to Sacred Heart for a reported skull fracture, broken legs and arms, according to state patrol.

The semi truck was not able to stop for another quarter of a mile. The impact of the semi truck, caused the Jeep to catch on fire, according to DeVere.

Ward, was cited for driving too fast for the conditions, according to Washington State Patrol. They plan to cite Lester for the same charges.

Grant County Fire District 5 firefighters and the state Department of Transportation assisted with the incident.

I-90 westbound was shut down for over an hour as law enforcement investigated, according to DeVere.