Man killed, wife injured in crash on 395

An 82-year-old Republic, Wash., man was killed Tuesday evening and his wife was critically injured when a Spokane Valley truck driver pulled in front of their vehicle a mile northwest of Colville on U.S. Highway 395, the state patrol said.

Louie W. Dragnich and his wife, Vivian J. Dragnich, 79, were headed toward Republic in their 1999 Cadillac DeVille when Ernest D. Ellard, 58, of Veradale, pulled into their path with a tractor-trailer rig about 5:15 p.m., according to the Washington State Patrol. Ellard, who was turning southwest toward Colville, wasn’t injured.

Louie Dragnich died at the scene. Vivian Dragnich was taken to Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane, where she was listed in critical condition late Tuesday night. Both had been wearing their seat belts.

A state patrol report said that Ellard caused the accident by failing to yield the right of way, and charges are pending. Alcohol didn’t contribute to the crash, investigators said.

Highway 395 remained closed in both directions for about five hours.