UPDATE: Benton County deputy prosecutor, family killed in Fourth of July crash

Cameron Probert
·2 min read
6

A Benton County deputy prosecutor and most of his family died in a violent Fourth of July crash on a rural Benton County road.

Bradley H. Bartlett, 35, his wife, Alexandra Bartlett, 31, and two of their children, 9-year-old Scarlett and 4-week-old Violet, were identified as the people killed at the corner of Travis and Sellards roads about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Benton County Coroner Bill Leach said.

Their 2-year-old child was flown to a Seattle hospital, according to emergency dispatch reports.

Bartlett was five months into his job at Benton County after starting in March. He was one of 18 attorneys handling felony cases.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office has not released information about the crash, but according to dispatch information, there were a truck and SUV involved.

Investigators have confirmed that most of the family were either in car seats or wearing seat belts, Leach said. They haven’t been able to confirm if the 9-year-old was wearing her seat belt.

Bradley Bartlett is believed to have been driving the vehicle with his family. An autopsy is scheduled for him on Saturday to rule out any medical causes for the crash.

The rural two-lane Sellards Road runs south of Benton City and Richland through farm land. This is the second fatal crash on Sellards this year. The other crash happened on May 24 about two miles away at the corner with Clodius Road.

Four people were trapped inside one of the cars, according to initial reports. The other driver was able to get out of their vehicle. That person’s condition was unclear Friday morning.

Deputy Prosecutor

Bartlett graduated from Cornell University in 2011 with a degree in political science and then from Cornell Law School in 2014.

Since his graduation, he took on work at various law firms and prosecutors’ offices in Texas, New Mexico and Washington.

This includes a nearly two year stretch as an assistant United States attorney and as a deputy prosecutor in Snohomish County.

Prosecutor Eric Eisinger said Bartlett wanted to come to the Tri-Cities and work in the office as a deputy prosecutor, and they were happy to have him.

“Brad was a fantastic person and a fantastic prosecutor and his loss will be felt deeply by our office and the community,” Eisinger told the Tri-City Herald. “He was a fantastic guy and had a heart for public service and a big heart for his family.”