Harrah woman killed near Union Gap

An 86-year-old Harrah woman died Friday morning after her car turned in front of a semi-truck pulling two fully loaded trailers of apples on Interstate 82, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Emergency personnel were unable to resucitate the woman, identified as Olive Pastrana. The truck driver, 44-year-old Jose-Luis Calvario of Wapato, was not injured, said Lt. Terry Liebrecht of State Patrol.
Pastrana was driving east in the right-hand lane of the freeway about 9:50 a.m. when she suddenly cut across the left lane in an apparent attempt to enter a utility vehicle turnaround in the median, Liebrecht said.

The semi-truck, which was loaded with 80,000 to 100,000 pounds of Braeburn apples, slammed into the side of the white 2004 Chevrolet Classic. The truck, pushing the car, traveled more than 100 yards off the highway before entering a small creek. Both the car and truck were destroyed in the accident.

“He did a good job keeping (his truck) under control,” Liebrecht said as tow truck operators pulled the smashed four-door sedan from the creek bank. Both drivers were wearing seat belts and neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected of being involved in the accident.Traffic fatalities are down from last year in the State Patrol’s Southeast Region, a seven-county area that includes Yakima County.

So far, 27 people have died from traffic accidents, compared to 36 at this time last year, Liebrecht said.