Boy, 11, dies in collision near Royal City

ROYAL CITY — A 11-year-old boy from Quincy died in a two-vehicle collision near Royal City on Wednesday.

About 2:45 p.m. Abigail Leyva, 18, of Quincy, was driving a 1992 Honda Accord north on Adams Road South, about a mile north of Frenchman Hills Road, when she reportedly failed to negotiate a curve and went into the southbound lane. She crashed head-on into a 1995 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck driven by Fausto Hernandez Vargas, 59, of Othello, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

Josue Leyva Amenta, 11, of Quincy, was a passenger in the Honda and pronounced dead at the scene of the collision. A 1-year-old boy in the Honda, who was reportedly facing forward in a car seat, received serious injuries and was airlifted via LifeFlight helicopter to Kadlec Medical Center in Richland. The boy was later flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and is reported to be in stable condition with head injuries.

Abigail Leyva and Vargas received minor injuries in the accident and were transported to Quincy Valley Medical Center via ambulance for treatment. Alcohol and/or drugs did not play a factor in the collision and everyone involved was wearing a seatbelt. Adams Road South, between Road 3 Southeast and Frenchman Hills Road, was closed for a number of hours on Wednesday as deputies at the scene investigated. The collision is still under investigation by the Grant County Sheriff’s Motor Traffic Unit.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.