One person is dead after his vehicle struck a snowbank and continued over an embankment on eastbound U.S. Highway 12 near White Pass Tuesday evening.
The Washington State Patrol was dispatched to the crash at milepost 154 on U.S. Highway 12 in Yakima County just after 6:50 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, according to an incident report.
The driver has been identified as Michael R. Swett, 51, of Sikeston, Missouri.
Swett’s vehicle, a white 1997 Chevy Tahoe, was “unrecoverable” and was left at the scene, according to the state patrol.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
The Washington State Patrol reported the vehicle dropped an estimated 200 feet over a cliff after crashing off the road, according to previous reporting by NBC NonStop Local. Fire personnel, emergency crews and mountain rescue crews were at the scene and a drone was launched around 8 a.m. on March 13 to help in the rescue, according to NBC NonStop Local.
