Warden man killed Friday in three-vehicle collision

MOSES LAKE — A Warden man was killed early Friday in a three-vehicle collision on state Route 17, about five miles south of Moses Lake.

Froylan Valdivia, 57, was driving a 2000 Chevrolet pickup north on the highway around 4:45 a.m. and slowed to turn left onto Road 5 Southeast when he was rear-ended by a 2005 Peterbilt semi-tractor truck, driven by Abel Juarez Avila, 30, of Connell.

Valdivia’s pickup was pushed into the southbound lane of state Route 17, where it was struck by a 2017 Ford F350 pickup truck heading south and driven by Arturo Fernandez, 26, of Ephrata.

The two pickup trucks came to rest on the southbound shoulder of the highway, while the Peterbilt just stopped, blocking both lanes of state Route 17. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office notified people at 6:04 a.m. the intersection was still blocked by the collision.

Valdivia was pronounced dead at the scene, while Fernandez and Juarez Avila were transported to Othello Community Hospital.

The Washington State Patrol, which responded to the accident, noted in its press memo that Avila was following Valdivia too closely. The intersection was blocked for more than six hours as WSP officers investigated, according to WSP Trooper John Bryant.

This story has been changed to reflect an updated press memo released late Tuesday from the Washington State Patrol on the cause of the accident.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].