Desert Aire woman dies in accident

DESERT AIRE — An accident around noon on Monday, April 27, took the life of a Desert Aire woman.

Cricelia Zepeda Acevedo, 38, was driving north on state Route 243 near milepost 5 when her vehicle drifted off the road and onto the right shoulder, according to the Washington State Patrol. Zepeda Acevedo overcorrected and crossed back across the road, where her car collided with a southbound vehicle driven by Verlyn Coulson, 31, of Mattawa. Zepeda Acevedo was pronounced dead at the accident scene. Coulson, a Port of Mattawa commissioner, was injured and transported to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Kennewick.

Highway 243 was closed for about five hours as both vehicles were partially blocking the southbound lane. Zepeda Acevedo’s 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix and Coulson’s 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup were totaled.