Richland man faces prison for fatal Highway 17 construction zone wreck in Franklin County
A driver may spend up to two years in prison after admitting on Tuesday to causing a deadly 2023 chain reaction crash on Highway 17.
Nicholas L. Abbot, 28, was initially accused of being high on cocaine when he caused an Aug. 7, 2023 crash in northern Franklin County. A 21-year-old Othello man was killed and another was seriously hurt.
While he pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and vehicular assault on Tuesday, he did not admit to driving under the influence. Instead, he said he was driving recklessly.
This version of the crime carries a lesser sentence. In this case, Abbott faces between two and nearly three years in prison.
Deputy Prosecutor Joseph Faurholt said prosecutors plan to ask for two years in prison.
Abbot’s attorney Hayden Sebald plans to ask for a waiver that is given to people who commit their first felony. This normally carries a sentence of up to 90 days in jail.
Abbott was charged in March, nearly nine months after killing Jesus Camacho-Augustin, 21, and hurting Valentin Galvez-Gonzalez, 24, of Othello.
While he had been living in Richland at the time of the crash, he had moved to Virginia before he was charged. When he came back to Franklin County to face the charges, he was booked into the Franklin County jail.
Abbot was in a 2008 Dodge Ram pickup on Aug. 7, 2023, heading south on the rural two-lane highway that connects Franklin County with Othello.
Abbot’s supervisor told state troopers he was supposed to be traveling back from Moses Lake to Othello after picking up some hardware. He had driven about 20 miles past the Othello exit when he crashed.
Two witnesses said he was driving erratically for 20 miles. He stopped in the road for no reason, swerved across the road and drove into the oncoming lane, according to court documents.
When he came upon the line of cars waiting for some road construction in the southbound lane about 12:45 p.m., Abbot didn’t stop, said the documents. His pickup slammed into a back of a Honda Civic
Five people were inside, including passenger Camacho-Augustin, and driver Galvez-Gonzalez.
Camacho-Augustin died at the scene and Galvez-Gonzalez was seriously hurt and taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland.
The crash pushed the Civic into a Hyundai Sonata in front of it. Two other cars ended up being damaged too.
Washington State Patrol toxicology tests on Abbot’s blood later found signs that he had cocaine in his system, said the documents.
