Families sue 2 drivers after fatal Tri-Cities crashes. One was an off-duty WSP trooper

KENNEWICK – Two families devastated by separate fatal crashes on March 1 are suing the drivers believed responsible for the deaths.

Jhoser Sanchez and Antonio Aguirre were hit and killed within a half hour of each other in collisions suspected to be caused by impaired drivers.

Their families each turned to the Kennewick branch of Tamaki Law to file wrongful death lawsuits in Benton County.

Sanchez’s family is suing off-duty Washington State Patrol Trooper Sarah Clasen, and Aguirre’s family has filed suit against Matthew D. Mason, an operations manager.

“These devastating losses were entirely preventable,” said Jeff Kreutz with Tamaki Law. “Our clients are seeking justice, accountability and change to ensure no other families endure the same heartbreak caused by impaired driving.”

Clasen, a 35-year-old trooper with a 13-year career, was returning home from a pizza run at about 7:40 p.m., when she turned left from Highway 240 into her Horn Rapids neighborhood.

As she turned, she hit Sanchez on his Suzuki motorcycle in the oncoming lane, court documents said.

Investigators believe Clasen was drunk and arrested her on suspicion of vehicular homicide. Clasen did not admit to drinking, and refused to take sobriety tests.

A blood sample was taken with a search warrant but it’s not clear if the test results are done. Tamaki officials say they have not received them yet.

Sanchez was a 20-year-old Richland forklift operator for Lamb Weston.

In the second crash, Matthew D. Mason crossed the center line on Highway 224 in West Richland and slammed into the oncoming sedan that Aguirre was driving, court documents said. That collision happened about 8 p.m.

Aguirre, 35, of Sunnyside, died at the scene.

Mason, 32, admitted to drinking about 4-5 beers earlier in the day and sobriety tests allegedly showed he was impaired.

The Tamaki Law attorneys also are waiting for the final blood tests results, attorney Megan Chang-Ngaruiya told the Herald.

But if Clasen or Mason is found to not be drunk, Chang-Ngaruiya explained that the drivers still had a duty to drive safely and could still be found civilly liable.

Chang-Ngaruiya said it’s too early to talk about how much in damages the families are asking for.

The attorneys also are looking to provide support for the families as the criminal cases move forward.

“The thoroughness of the criminal investigation is important to these families who have been devastated by this loss,” she said.

Vehicular homicide cases

Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger has asked for special prosecutors in both cases.

Spokane Prosecutor Larry Haskell agreed to provide an attorney to handle the Clasen case. No charges had been filed as of March 18.

Haskell told the Tri-City Herald last week that they were waiting for the investigation to be finished before making a decision on charging her.

The inaction has frustrated Sanchez’s friends and family who feel the trooper is getting special treatment because she’s in law enforcement, according to social media posts.

Over the weekend, some of Sanchez’s supporters stood on George Washington Way in Richland, waving signs that urged justice for his death.

Clasen has been released from jail without bail pending the investigation but she has been placed on administrative leave from her job.

In the second crash, the case was taken over by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office because Mason has a parent who works in the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office.

Mason is charged with vehicular homicide in Benton County Superior Court and also is out of jail pending his trial.

GoFundMe campaigns have been set up for the families of both men.

Aguirre had a son, and family in Washington and California. Organizer Sandra Ruiz said they planned to have services in Sunnyside and the San Fernando Valley.

“Tony’s spirit will forever remain in our hearts and we invite all who knew him to join us in remembering the joy he brought to our lives,” Sandra Ruiz wrote in the GoFundMe at bit.ly/AguirreGoFundMe.

Sanchez, a Pasco High graduate, hoped to become a mechanic and dreamed of owning his own home.

“He was a bright and loving soul who brought joy to everyone around him and his absence has left a void that we cannot begin to describe,” his mother Yollmar Sanchez Barbosa wrote on the GoFundMe site at bit.ly/JhoserSanchezGoFundMe.