Strong winds topple semi near Mattawa

MATTAWA - Strong winds are cited as the cause of an injury collision near Mattawa over the weekend.

About 1:35 p.m. on Saturday Daniel Mwangi, 46, of Dallas, Texas, was driving a 2017 Freightliner semi-truck south on state Route 243, about two miles north north of the Vernita Bridge, when high winds in the area caused the semi, which was traveling at 40 mph with an empty trailer, to roll, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The tractor came to a rest in the northbound lane, while the trailer came to a rest in the northbound ditch. Mwangi was injured in the collision and transported to Kadlec Medical Center in Richland for treatment.

The patrol says Mwangi was not cited in the collision due to the cause of the crash being high winds. SR-243 was block for about 4.5 hours on Saturday as the collision was investigated and the scene was cleared.

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