Snow, ice cause dozens of crashes
Snow and icy roads resulted in dozens of collisions Saturday including a three-vehicle crash that killed three people in north Spokane County.
The accident happened on Highway 2 at Bailey Road, just a mile north of Riverside, according to Trooper Mark Baker of the Washington State Patrol.
A blue Plymouth Voyager van heading south on Highway 2 was rear-ended by a white Dodge pickup at about 9:20 a.m., he said. That caused the van to rotate counterclockwise into the northbound lane, where it was struck broadside by a northbound black Toyota pickup, Baker said.
The impact killed all three people in the van – passengers Gregory S. Stueck, 37, of Bozeman, Mont., and Kalen Hearn, 22, of Kirkland, Wash., and driver Michael D. Edwards, 51, of Spokane.
Prior to the crash, the van had gone out of control on the slick roads, Baker said. It was attempting to slow down by braking, but the van kept sliding. The pickup behind it also tried to slow down and attempted to take evasive action by moving to the right, according to the trooper.
After the collision, the white pickup left the roadway and landed in a ditch. The driver was uninjured, Baker said. The two people in the black Toyota pickup that struck the van – Richard Wilkins, 22, of Littleton, Colo., and Jonathan J. Erlenmeyer, 22, of Moses Lake – were treated for minor injuries.
The white pickup was driven by David W. Batty, 51, of Elk.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, Baker said. Weather was undoubtedly a factor, he said, but the white Dodge pickup may also have been following the van too closely.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is being asked to contact the WSP. Investigators are looking for information involving another vehicle that may have been heading south in front of the van just before the crash.
The fatal collision was among more than 80 accidents reported to WSP by Saturday afternoon. Troopers responded to about 150 accidents on Friday.
“We’re getting plenty of crashes,” said Baker. “It’s very slippery out there. I’ve also seen a lot of marginal tires.”
Earlier in the day, the WSP heard from several semi-trucks that got stuck as they tried to ascend Sunset Hill in Spokane. Many had to put chains on.
After continuous snow showers Friday and Saturday, many parts of Eastern Washington and North Idaho were covered with snow.
A trained weather spotter eight miles north of Rockford in Kootenai County reported 10 inches. Other reports from spotters were 9 inches six miles east of Harrison in Kootenai County; 4 inches near Spirit Lake; 5.5 inches at the National Weather Service office northwest of Airway Heights; 5 inches near Cheney; and 10 inches six miles southeast of Coeur d’Alene at an elevation of 2,850 feet.
The snow resulted in difficult driving conditions across the region.
In North Idaho, an accident involving a semi-truck on Interstate 90 resulted in traffic delays. The rollover crash, which happened around noon near milepost 19 just east of Coeur d’Alene, closed off several lanes in both directions, according to the Idaho State Police.
The semi hit the median and pushed part of the barrier into the westbound lanes. The truck then slid 165 feet along the Jersey barrier where it partially blocked the eastbound lanes.
No one was injured, but truck driver Robert S. Plogger, of Bremerton, was cited for driving too fast for conditions.
Another North Idaho crash late Friday night on Highway 97 injured four teenagers.
According to the Idaho State Police, a 1996 Chevy Astro van slid over an embankment when the driver failed to negotiate a curve at milepost 81.
Driver Brian Allen, 17 and passengers Gerard Odom, 17, Kristi Dunphy, 16, Jamie Dunphy, 14 and Tracy Allen, 14, were all taken to Kootenai Medical Center with minor injuries. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.
Staff writers Mike Prager and Amy Cannata contributed to this report.