94-year-old woman dies in Tuesday crash on Moscow-Pullman Highway

PULLMAN — A 94-year-old Pullman woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon on Washington State Route 270 in Pullman.

The crash occurred around 3 p.m. Tuesday near Airport Road on SR 270 near the Idaho border, according to a Washington State Patrol news release.

Beverly P. Gearhiser, 94, was pulling out of Garrison Road onto westbound SR 270 when her vehicle, a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser, was struck by a 2009 Toyota RAV4 driven by 34-year-old Courtney A. Midea, of Red Rock, Ariz., traveling eastbound, according to the news release. The Toyota also had a passenger, 84-year-old Richard E. Tavis, of Pullman. Neither occupant of the Toyota was injured.

All three people involved were wearing seatbelts, according to the news release. Both vehicles were totaled.

Officials determined the cause of the crash to be failure to yield, according to the news release. Gearhiser’s next of kin have been notified.

Westbound traffic on the highway was closed into the evening, and eastbound traffic was reduced to one lane as a result of the crash, according to a Pullman Firefighters Facebook post. A WSP spokesperson said the highway fully reopened to traffic Tuesday evening.