A vehicle is seen on its side following a two car collision that blocked both lanes of Bucoda Highway SE Saturday night.
A vehicle is seen following a two car collision that blocked both lanes of Bucoda Highway SE Saturday night.
A vehicle is seen on its side following a two car collision that blocked both lanes of Bucoda Highway SE Saturday night.
A woman was seriously hurt and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after causing a crash on state Route 507 Saturday afternoon — a crash that blocked the roadway for several hours as first responders cleared the road and followed emergency procedures.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Johnna Batiste told The Chronicle the at-fault driver, Catherine L. Brown, 45, of Castle Rock was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence but also suffered the brunt of the injury. Batiste said Brown would need to receive necessary medical attention before she would be booked into jail.
“The victim driver received little to no injuries,” said Batiste, adding that the 49-year-old Centralia man didn’t require transportation from the scene.
According to a WSP press release, Brown was driving northbound on SR 507 in a 2003 Ford Focus. A 2016 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck was approaching from the other direction. The Ford crossed over into the opposing lane and struck the truck head on.
Images from the scene show the Ford crumpled and flipped to its side along the road, where it came to a rest in the southbound ditch.
The truck came to a rest blocking the northbound lane.
Batiste couldn’t advise what specific injuries Brown sustained, but stated they were serious enough to warrant being airlifted to Seattle. The press release states the cause of the crash as under investigation, and also includes that alcohol is believed to be involved.
There was one person in each of the vehicles, Batiste said.
The crash was reported at 4:45 p.m., said Batiste, and clogged both lanes of traffic until the roadway was cleared at around 10:19 p.m. Saturday. The roadway was blocked during that time for approximately five hours and 15 minutes, according to WSP, and traffic was rerouted in that time.
