Man seriously injured in crash on Argonne was ejected from pickup despite wearing seat belt

Argonne Road was shut down for several hours Wednesday evening for a crash near the intersection of Argonne and Stoneman Road north of Spokane Valley.

The driver of a small white Mazda pickup was ejected and seriously injured in the crash, which occured shortly after 4:30 p.m. “He was wearing his seat belt,” said Cpl. Jeff Welton of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. “It actually ripped his seat belt out.”

The driver was traveling north on Argonne Road when he crossed the centerline and hit the front corner of an empty flatbed trailer being pulled by a full-size pickup truck. The impact tore off the Mazda’s driver’s side door, ripped out the seat belt and severed the driver’s leg, Welton said.

After the driver was ejected, the Mazda continued to roll down the road, gouging the pavement as it went. It landed on its side and debris was scattered across a wide area. The impact had enough force to rip the trailer hitch off the full-size pickup, Welton said.

The Mazda’s driver, a man in his 20’s, was taken to a local hospital where he was reported to be in stable condition Wednesday evening. Neither driver appeared to be impaired in any way, Welton said. “For some reason he just drifted over,” he said.