Death Toll At 21 On Stevens County Roads

It’s been a deadly year on Stevens County roads.

Four people died in an accident Sunday, bringing the traffic death toll to 21 in the sparsely populated county this year, Washington State Patrol troopers said.

That’s more than three times the number of deaths recorded during the same time last year, and troopers worry the toll will climb over the next two months.

“The bad weather isn’t even upon us yet,” said WSP spokesman Sgt. Chris Powell. “We have most of November and all of December left to go. There are always more accidents when you have snow and ice to contend with.”

But the road was clear and dry Sunday when a car crashed into a pine tree north of Valley, Wash., killing all four people in the vehicle.

Jason Hall, 20, of Valley, was driving a white Toyota Supra north on state Highway 231 about 4:30 p.m.

Witnesses told troopers the car was speeding as it rounded a curve and clipped another tree about 50 feet before slamming into the ponderosa pine.

Michael Bleck, 40, of Spokane, and Ernest Hettinger, 21, of Valley, also were killed in the crash.

Tina Edwards, 22, of Valley, was alive when paramedics arrived but died after being lifted from the car.

Alcohol may have been a factor, troopers said. A bottle of whiskey and a 12-pack of beer were found inside the car.

Troopers said they don’t know whether any of the victims had been wearing a seat belt.

Deadly as it was, it was not the county’s worst fatal accident this year.

Five Deer Park residents were killed in a two-car accident on July 15. That was when Stevens County’s death toll moved past Spokane County’s.

Seven more people have died on Stevens County roads since then.

Stevens County has only 35,400 residents. If the traffic fatality rate in Spokane County were the same, 238 people would have been killed on its roads this year.

“It’s unbelievable the amount of life loss we’ve had this year,” Powell said.

Some of the fatal accidents were blamed on speed and alcohol, while others were caused by failure to stop or inexperienced drivers.

“There is no common denominator here,” Powell said. “It shows you how random fatal accidents can be. They can occur any time, anyplace.”

, DataTimes