Failure to Stop Causes Fatal Crash Near Enumclaw

Published 10:34 pm Friday, June 18, 2010

Just after 3 p.m. Friday, June 18, the Washington State

Patrol received several 911 calls reporting a serious collision that had occurred in the intersection of state Route 164 at Southeast 196th Street near Enumclaw.

According to a press release from the WSP, Troopers and medical personnel at the scene reported the driver of a gold Buick Regal whom attempted to cross state Route 164 from Southeast 196th street northbound, failed to stop or slow for the posted stop sign and pulled out directly into the path of an eastbound Ford Explorer driven by 42-year-old Enumclaw woman. Witnesses said the Explorer was traveling near the posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour at the time of the collision and had

no chance to avoid the Buick Regal. The resulting broad side collision instantly killed the driver of the Buick, an 84-year-old Enumclaw man, and seriously injured his passenger an 83-year-old Enumclaw woman, who was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center where her condition is currently unknown.

Two other passengers in the Explorer were also injured in the collision. A 62-year-old woman was transported for head and chest pain and 55-year-old woman for minor back pain, both were transported and treated at Auburn Regional Medical Center.

The fatal collision snarled traffic for just under four hours just as spectators were headed for the popular “Summer Jam” festival at the White River Amphitheatre.