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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fiery crash kills one

Staff reports
One person died and three were injured Sunday in a fiery accident involving two vehicles racing just north of Clarkston. The Washington State Patrol said Curtis D. Fleming, 24, died at the scene. A passenger in his 1998 Ford Mustang, 23-year-old Mill Creek, Wash., resident Thomas G. Warren, was injured. He was in serious condition late Sunday at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. Coby R. Brown, 26, and a passenger in his 1995 Honda Prelude, 26-year-old Melissa L. Maushak, were treated at the hospital and released. Both are Clarkston residents. The State Patrol said Fleming and Brown were racing about 4:15 a.m. on Highway 193, just north of Clarkston, when they lost control of their vehicles. The eastbound cars crashed separately without coming into contact. Troopers said Fleming overcorrected when his Mustang ran off the right-hand side of the road after passing Brown. The Mustang then crossed both lanes, hit an embankment and became airborne. It burst into flames when it landed in the westbound ditch, according to the WSP. Distracted by the crash, Brown also ran off the road to the right and overcorrected. Troopers said his Prelude was totaled when it crossed both lanes and crashed on the other side of the highway. The WSP initially indicated that drugs or alcohol were involved. However, later reports said that was not the case. Charges were pending.