Woman killed when SUV driven by father falls from embankment in Whitman County

A woman from Idaho was killed early Friday when the car her father was driving left the roadway and fell from a 30-foot embankment in Whitman County.

The Washington State Patrol reported in a news release that drugs or alcohol likely were a factor in the crash.

Norman G. Rooney, 45, was driving a 1995 Chevrolet Blazer east on state Highway 26 about 12:30 a.m. Friday when his car left the road about 31 miles west of Colfax, WSP said. Rooney, a Longview, Washington resident, was not injured in the crash.

A passenger in the car, Brittney Lee Rooney, 25, died at the scene. She was a resident of Cambridge, Idaho.

WSP Trooper Jeff Sevigney said Norman Rooney was Brittney Rooney’s father.

No charges against Rooney were filed, court records from Whitman County show.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on July 15, 2022, to reflect that court records show Norman Rooney was not charged in the crash.