Two serious crashes left one driver dead and two other people seriously injured near Morton Wednesday.
At 9:50 a.m. on Wednesday, the Washington State Patrol responded to a report of a collision on state Route 508, 11 miles west of Morton.
A 1997 Dodge Ram pickup, driven by Daniel D. Steig, 73, of Morton, was heading eastbound on state Route 507 when it drifted off the eastbound shoulder into a ditch and struck an embankment.
Steig died at the scene, according to the State Patrol.
A passenger, Lloyd L. Wakeman, 35, of Centralia, was injured and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
At 2:52 p.m. Wednesday, troopers responded to a second crash on state Route 7, three miles north of Morton, between a car and a semi truck.
The car, a 1997 Honda Accord driven by Janet A. Morgan, 82, of Eatonville, was heading northbound on state Route 7. The semi, a 1997 Kenworth septic truck, driven by Matthew P. Calvert, 27, of Onalaska, was heading southbound.
The crash was caused by Morgan, crossing the centerline and hitting the semi head-on, according to the State Patrol. Unspecified charges are pending.
Morgan was injured and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Calvert was not injured, according to the State Patrol.
