The Washington State Patrol is continuing to investigate a crash that left two people dead in Grand Mound on Thursday morning.
A 68-year-old Olympia man had parked a 2018 Toyota RAV4 on the right shoulder of the southbound Interstate 5 off-ramp to U.S. Highway 12 at about 9:05 a.m. when the crash occurred. The front seat passenger — a 74-year-old resident of Tucson, Arizona — exited the vehicle to adjust a bike rack on the rear of the SUV, according to the state patrol.
That’s when a 2003 Toyota Camry driven by a 28-year-old Moses Lake man exited the freeway toward Highway 12. The Camry swerved to the right and struck both the SUV and the Arizona man.
Both vehicles came to rest on the right shoulder.
The Arizona man and the Moses Lake man were both killed in the crash. They have not been identified pending the notification of next of kin, according to the state patrol.
Three other passengers in the SUV were hospitalized. A 70-year-old Tucson, Arizona, woman and a 72-year-old woman from Olympia were taken to Providence Centralia Hospital. A 72-year-old Olympia man was also injured.
The Moses Lake man who drove the Camry was not wearing a seat belt, according to the state patrol.
The state patrol reports it is currently unknown whether drugs or alcohol played a factor in the crash.
