Ephrata Man Seriously Injured in Friday Morning Crash

An Ephrata man is trying to recover from serious injuries after a one car crash Friday morning on State Route 155 between Grand Coulee and Coulee City.

Washington State Patrol Trooper John Bryant says 46-year-old Joshua Bessette was driving northbound just after 7:00 am when he left the road to the right for an unknown reason and struck a rock bank. His car, a 2008 Honda CR-V, rolled until it ended upside-down and quickly caught fire.

"Initially Mr. Bessette was taken to (Coulee Medical Center) because he had been in and out of consciousness for a while but then he got up and he was walking around the scene." explained Byrant, "You know you get those initial collisions where you might have a lot of adrenaline pumping but it turned out he was in worse shape than he thought at the hospital. He ended up being airlifted to Harborview Medical Center."

Injuries to Bessette include burns to his left leg, possible fractures to his skull and spine and a possible brain bleed.

The cause is still under investigation. There is currently no evidence that drugs or alcohol were a factor.