Jackknifed Rig Triggers Collision That Kills One

Fri., March 14, 1997

A tractor-trailer rig that jackknifed on an icy road Thursday near Cusick, Wash., triggered a five-vehicle collision that killed an Air Force survival instructor and seriously injured another, the Washington State Patrol said.

The instructors were in an Air Force van that had just rounded a corner on state Highway 20 before striking the jackknifed rig, which was blocking both lanes of the road, WSP said.

Two other Air Force vehicles and a civilian vehicle that had been trailing the van then piled up in the accident.

One of the Air Force vehicles was a bus carrying 24 students from Fairchild Air Force Base Survival School, the state patrol said. The students and the people in the other vehicles weren’t hurt.

The two instructors were flown by medical helicopter to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, where one of them was declared dead a couple hours after arrival.

The other instructor was in serious but stable condition, Fairchild officials said.

Their names were being withheld until relatives could be contacted, Fairchild spokesman Maj. Linwood Jenkins said.

The Air Force vehicles had been returning to Fairchild after training sessions in northeastern Washington, Jenkins said.

, DataTimes

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.