GOLDENDALE, Klickitat County, Wash., Oct. 8, 2026 — A two-vehicle crash at SR-97 and Broadway Street left one person injured on Tuesday morning, October 6, according to the Washington State Patrol. The passenger was taken to a local hospital after the collision.
Troopers said a pickup truck was headed eastbound on Broadway Street (SR-142) and attempting to cross SR-97 when its 79-year-old driver, a Goldendale resident, failed to stop at a posted stop sign. The truck struck a Lincoln Navigator traveling southbound on SR-97.
The Navigator's driver, a 26-year-old Sunnyside man, was not hurt, state patrol said. His passenger, a 21-year-old Sunnyside man, was injured and taken to Klickitat Valley Health for treatment. The pickup's driver was not injured.
Investigators said the truck's driver was cited for failing to yield the right of way at a stop sign. All occupants were reportedly wearing seatbelts, and troopers said neither drugs nor alcohol appeared to have been factors. Both vehicles were damaged beyond repair and towed from the scene.
We hope everyone who was hurt makes a full and speedy recovery.
A Common Misconception About Stop-Sign Crashes
Many drivers assume that crashes at stop-sign intersections are mostly minor, fender-bender affairs because the vehicles involved are not traveling at highway speeds. The evidence does not support that assumption. When a vehicle fails to yield and crosses into a through lane, it often gets struck broadside at full speed by cross traffic, and that kind of impact can cause serious injury regardless of how slow the car pulling out was going.
The real risk is not in how fast the vehicle doing the crossing is moving. It is in how fast the other vehicle is moving when it arrives at the intersection with no time to react. A stop sign only controls one direction of traffic, so the crossing vehicle has to accurately judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars before it moves, and that judgment call is where failure-to-yield crashes most often go wrong.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 23,959 passenger-vehicle occupants were killed in motor-vehicle traffic crashes in 2023. Intersection crashes, including failure-to-yield collisions like this one, are a recurring part of that toll nationwide, not a rare exception.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do right after a car accident?
Check yourself and others for injuries, call 911, and move to a safe spot if the vehicles are drivable. Exchange information with the other driver and wait for law enforcement to arrive and document the scene.
Where do most traffic accidents happen?
A large share of crashes occur at or near intersections, where turning, crossing, and stopped traffic all meet. Stop-sign and signal-controlled intersections are especially common crash sites.
What injuries are most common in these crashes?
Broadside and T-bone style impacts, like those seen when a vehicle fails to yield, often cause head, neck, and chest injuries, along with broken bones. Seatbelts and airbags reduce the severity but don't eliminate the risk.
How can drivers lower the chances of this type of crash?
Coming to a full stop at stop signs, checking twice before crossing, and never assuming an approaching vehicle will slow down are basic habits that help avoid these collisions.
What to Do After a Failure-to-Yield Crash in Goldendale, WA
If you're involved in a crash like this one, stay at the scene and call for medical help even if injuries seem minor at first. Some injuries, especially to the neck or chest from a side impact, can take hours to show symptoms. Get checked by a medical provider the same day if possible.
Cooperate with responding officers and get a copy of the police report once it's available. Photograph the vehicles, the intersection, and any visible damage if you're able to safely do so. Follow up with your own doctor in the days after the crash, even if you were treated at the scene, to make sure nothing was missed.
