Alleged drunken, wrong-way driver causes four-car pileup

MOSES LAKE – An alleged drunken, wrong-way driver caused a four-vehicle pileup on Interstate 90 on Thursday, April 2.

Christopher L. Mainard, 26, of Snohomish, was intoxicated at the scene and arrested for driving under the influence of the 8:17 p.m. crash between Ritzville and Moses Lake, the Washington State Patrol said, noting the crash occurred at Milepost 193, 18 miles east of Moses Lake.

Mainard was westbound in the left lane of eastbound I-90 when he struck a vehicle driven by Igor Chernetskiy, 28, of Spokane head-on, the patrol said.

Mainard next struck a vehicle in the right lane; that vehicle was driven by Nefali Alfaro, 26, of Kennewick, the patrol said. Janita E. Martin, 50, of Newman Lake, then ran into Mainard's vehicle in the right lane.

Patrol Sgt. Jeff Sevigney said Mainard was first reported to be traveling in the wrong direction at Milepost 202. Mainard was transported to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake. Martin was transported to East Adams Rural Hospital in Ritzville.

Neither suffered life-threatening injuries was life-threatening.

Mainard remained at Samaritan Hospital overnight, he said.

Mainard's 1990 Toyota pickup was towed by Reliable Towing East, and Martin's 2013 Nissan NV 200 was picked up by Ray Greenwalt of Pete's Towing in Ritzville around midnight, he said.

The eastbound lanes of the interstate were closed for more than four hours, state transportaion officials said.