Three killed in Othello area collision

OTHELLO — Three people died Thursday morning in a head-on collision with a semi-truck, according to a statement from the Washington State Patrol.

At a little after 7 a.m., Manuela Franco Huerta, 44, of Warden was driving south on State Route 17 in a 2003 Toyota Corolla when she lost control and slid into the northbound lane, where the Corolla was struck by a tractor-trailer driven by Jeffrey S. Tibbs, 53, of Hermiston, Ore. Franco Huerta and a passenger, a 14-year-old boy from Warden, were pronounced dead at Othello Community Hospital. Another passenger, Brini Moran Flores, 44, of Warden, was pronounced dead at the scene. Tibbs was uninjured.

Gama Perez and Moran Flores were wearing seat belts; Franco Huerta was not. The collision was attributed to Franco Huerta driving too fast for conditions.