Wash. State Patrol Trooper Struck Head-On by Suspected Impaired Driver

Feb. 12, 2025

A Washington State Patrol trooper wasn't seriously injured when he tried to stop a wrong-way driver who collided head-on with the trooper's cruiser.

By Cory McCoy

Source Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Wash.)

A Washington State Patrol trooper was struck head-on by a suspected impaired driver Tuesday in Kennewick.

A Pasco man is accused of hitting a Washington State Patrol vehicle head-on in Kennewick while driving the wrong way under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Jeremy S. Santo, 45, of Pasco, was driving north in the southbound lanes of Highway 395 toward Pasco around 2 a.m. Tuesday, according to a news release from WSP.

State Trooper Anselmo Sanchez, 28, was driving south on the highway in the Kennewick city limits and spotted the vehicle driving toward him, Lt. Dustin Drout told the Herald in an email.

Sanchez activated his lights and attempted to stop the wrong-way Hyundai Tucson near Kennewick Avenue, Santo didn't stop and hit the state patrol Ford Explorer near the Denny's restaurant.

Kennewick police helped with the response and took Santo into custody on suspicion of DUI. He was taken to Trios Southridge Hospital to be treated for injuries and was expected to be booked into the Benton County jail.

Drout said Trooper Sanchez was evaluated at the freestanding Kadlec Medical Center emergency room in Kennewick and was not seriously injured. He has been with WSP for three years.

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