Crash kills 17-year-old Tenino boy

A 17-year-old Tenino driver died Sunday afternoon in a collision on state Route 121 just south of the entrance to Millersylvania State Park, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Both lanes of the highway were blocked for about three hours as troopers investigated the 3:45 p.m. crash, said State Patrol spokeswoman Brandy Kessler. The boy’s parents had not been notified of his death as of Sunday evening, Kessler said.

The driver’s 1993 Toyota Tercel was headed south when it left the roadway to the right, Kessler said. The driver avoided a pole and swerved back onto the roadway into oncoming traffic, she said.

A northbound Lexus RX 330 struck the Tercel on the passenger side, she said. The 49-year-old driver of the Lexus, also a Tenino resident, was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia as a precaution, Kessler said.

No passengers were in either vehicle, Kessler said. It is not known why the 17-year-old’s car initially veered from the roadway, she said.