GCSO identifies driver, victims in fatal crash

MOSES LAKE — Investigators with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office have determined who was driving the vehicle during a single-car accident on July 30 west of Moses Lake that left one person dead and three injured.

According to a GCSO statement, investigators determined that Kari S. Ortega, 22, of Moses Lake, was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier west on South Frontage Road near Hiawatha when she failed to negotiate a curve. That prompted her to lose control of the car, which rolled several times and ejected all four occupants.

The GCSO said Armando D. Lopez of Quincy died at the scene, while Christopher Rios Chavez, 18, of Quincy, was admitted to a Spokane hospital for treatment, as was an unnamed 14-year-old girl from Quincy, who has since been admitted to a rehabilitation center for treatment of her injuries.

In its post, the GCSO said it continues to investigate the accident.