Sheriff: 2 killed, 7 injured in car crash caused by inattention

MATTAWA, Wash. (AP) — The Grant County Sheriff's Office says driver inattention is to blame for a crash near Mattawa that left two people dead and seven injured.

Investigators say 42-year-old Roman Rodriguez of Mattawa blew through a stop sign at an intersection Sunday night and collided with another car. His vehicle rolled and slid into a vineyard.

Two of the six people in his car, all family members, were killed: 65-year-old Juan Gonzalez and 29-year-old Maria Gonzalez Hernandez.

Everyone else was injured, two children and 59-year-old Martha Hernandez, who was not wearing a seatbelt and was partially ejected. She was listed in critical condition after being flown to a hospital in Richland. The driver suffered a concussion, broken ribs and internal injuries.

In the other car, all three people were injured. Two were hospitalized in stable condition; the other was treated and released.