Participant in race hit on highway

A relay-race runner was in serious condition Friday afternoon after being struck in the morning by a car on U.S. Highway 2 at Colbert Road.

Robin Johnson, 44, of Spokane, was crossing the highway when the accident occurred.

She was participating in the Spokane to Sandpoint relay race, an event that was to continue throughout the night and this morning across Spokane, Kootenai and Bonner counties. Dozens of teams are involved.

She reportedly suffered a broken leg and scrapes, but was showing no signs of head injury, a race spokesman said.

Emergency crews from Fire District No. 4 responded to the scene of the 8:20 a.m. accident and held up traffic temporarily while a helicopter landed to evacuate Johnson.

The Washington State Patrol said that Johnson failed to yield right of way at the intersection and was struck by a 1998 Subaru Legacy driven by Madilyn K. Young, 16, of Newport. Young was headed south at the time and collided with Johnson in the roadway.

Troopers said that Johnson would be cited for failure to yield.

The relay began early Friday at Bear Creek Lodge on Mount Spokane. The course took participants west toward the Little Spokane River on its first legs.

The 185-mile course continued to Nine Mile Falls and up the Spokane River on the Centennial Trail to Coeur d’Alene. From there, it returned to the Huetter area and north to Silverwood Theme Park, Athol, Newport and Sandpoint.

The race was rerouted around the accident site but continued. It was planned to go through the night and into this morning, according to the relay’s website.

Fire officials said they had not been notified in advance of the race, and would prefer to work with race organizers to help ensure safety of participants as well as a quick fire response in case of an accident.

The race spokesman was not immediately available to comment on the issue of notification.