One dead, another injured in one-vehicle crash

MARLIN – A 33-year-old man from Moses Lake, Don “Chris” Terrell, was killed in a one-vehicle accident early Friday morning near Marlin, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. 

The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. Friday when Terrell was driving a 1994 Mazda pickup north on Road W-Northeast at a high rate of speed. He failed to stop at the stop sign at State Route 28 East, lost control of the vehicle, and subsequently rolled over four times in the sagebrush on the west side of the road, according to GCSO.  

Terrell, who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was transferred to the care of Coroner Craig Morrison, who conducted an autopsy.  

A passenger in the vehicle, 39-year-old Tawni Jahns of Richland, was also not wearing a seatbelt. She was airlifted to an out-of-area hospital with injuries resulting from the collision.  

“It seems as though all too often in Grant County, people lose their lives due to not wearing a seat belt,” GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman said. “We certainly hope everyone buckles up and does their part to be safe.” 

The Grant County Sheriff’s Motor Traffic Unit is currently investigating the incident. Local agencies, including Grant County Fire District 12 and LifeLine Ambulance, Airlift Northwest, Grant County Coroner’s Office and GCSO, assisted with the incident.