Kennewick man killed in wrong way crash

BENTON COUNTY, Wash.-- A wrong-way driver died Thursday night when his car collided into an oncoming vehicle.

Starting at about before 10:56 p.m. dispatchers at SECOMM received several reports of a white sedan driving eastbound in the westbound lanes on I-82 east of Prosser.

According to the Washington State Patrol, the sedan crashed into a full-sized pick-up truck at milepost 86, just east of the first Prosser exit.

The driver of the sedan, Steven C. Chalcraft, 60, Kennewick, was not wearing a seatbelt and pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the pick-up truck, Jerry Frazier, 65, Yakima, was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center with unknown injuries.

A third vehicle was struck by the pick-up following the initial collision. The driver of that vehicle, Elijah Pena, 25, Sunnyside, refused medical attention.

Deputies say they're investigating to determine whether alcohol or drugs may have been a contributing factor to the crash, but that has not yet been determined.


Updated to include the deceased driver's name, confirmed by Washington State Patrol.