Four Hurt In Car-Van Crash

Seconds after Spokane police halted a high-speed chase Tuesday evening, the car they were pursuing collided with a van.

Four people were hospitalized, but none of the injuries appeared life-threatening.

Police had just ended their pursuit of a car headed south on Lincoln about 7 p.m. because of concerns for public safety, the Spokane Police Department said. Seconds later at Augusta and Lincoln, the car collided with a van.

Two men, driver Darrin Weston, 30, and David Burt, 31, and a woman, Janelle Schindler, 25, were riding in the car. All three were hospitalized, but their conditions were not immediately available.

The 71-year-old man riding in the van was being observed late Tuesday at a hospital but wasn’t injured.

Police began the pursuit as a routine traffic stop after spotting a 1988 Mercury being driven recklessly near Washington and Maxwell.

After the car hit the van, it struck a tree and caught fire. Police Chief Terry Mangan heard the scanner traffic and helped pull the three people from the burning car.

, DataTimes