Fatal accident on SR 17 Monday

A Quincy man lost his life Monday afternoon when the semi truck he was driving left SR 17 near milepost 23 approximately 5 miles south of Othello.

According to a report from the Washington State Patrol, Miguel A Penado, 58, was traveling northbound on SR 17 when he lost control of his 2010 International Prostar Semi with a trailer in tow detaching from the vehicle as he was exiting the roadway to the west.

The semi continued parallel to the road, struck a fence and then a power pole, before coming to rest in a yard where the vehicle ignited and became fully engulfed against a pine tree roughly 50 feet off the roadway.

Neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the accident. Next of kin has been notified. The accident is under investigation.

News of the accident first filtered in to The Sun Tribune Tuesday morning by a passerby, JJ Heston, a witness to the incident, who said he and another motorist stopped to offer aid to an unconscious Penado, but was unable to as the truck was severely damaged and on fire.