4 injured in collision near Mattawa

MATTAWA — Four people were injured in a three-vehicle collision near Mattawa Saturday night.

About 6:02 p.m. a 16-year-old boy in a 2005 Chevrolet Venture van started to slow down due to a collision ahead of him on state Route 243. The boy was following behind a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder SUV driven by Luis Montoya Cruz, 57, of Royal City, according to the Washington State Patrol.

At some point a 2001 Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by Timothy Stephens, 35, of Kennewick, rear-ended the Chevy van, which was then pushed into the rear of the Pathfinder.

A passenger in the Dodge and a passenger in the Chevy van were injured in the collision and transported to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland for treatment. Two other passengers in the involved vehicles were injured but were not transported to a hospital.

The patrol lists the cause of the collision as Stephens following too close, which he was cited for. The boy was cited for driving without a valid operator’s license.

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