Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> Photo by Doug Ramsay  (click to enlarge) Snohomish firefighter Jason Hodkinson (right) transports the injured driver after an accident on Bickford Avenue in Snohomish on Thursday.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, August 24, 2007 2 hurt when car hits tree in Snohomish By Yoshiaki Nohara Herald writer SNOHOMISH — A serious injury accident on Bickford Avenue sent two Snohomish residents to a hospital on Thursday morning. A Saturn coupe driven by a 33-year-old woman was headed east on the U.S. 2 trestle between Everett and Snohomish. The car exited the highway onto Bickford Avenue in Snohomish. It went off the road and hit a tree around 9:30 a.m., said Rebecca Hover, a spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. The driver and her passenger, a 31-year-old man, who both live in Snohomish, suffered serious internal injuries and multiple fractures, Hover said. They were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Jessi Ammons of Lake Stevens said she was driving on Bickford Avenue behind the Saturn when the accident occurred. She and others stopped and called 911, Ammons said. "It all happened in a matter of seconds," she said. Ammons, who commutes to Snohomish daily, said she hasn't seen many accidents on Bickford Avenue. "I wouldn't consider that as a dangerous spot," she said. No other vehicles were involved in the crash, Hover said. The crash remains under investigation. Alcohol doesn't appear to have been a factor. Following the accident, officials closed one lane of Bickford Avenue for about two hours. The closed lane was reopened around 11:30 a.m. U.S. 2 wasn't closed after the crash, said Kirk Rudeen, a Washington State Patrol trooper. State engineers have proposed to build a new interchange at Bickford Avenue and U.S. 2 to improve safety at the busy intersection. When drivers turn left from Bickford Avenue onto U.S. 2, they now have to cross the highway's eastbound lanes. That sometimes results in accidents. The new interchange would allow drivers to get on and off the highway without crossing it. The project could cost about $60 million; the cost estimate is preliminary and could change, said Richard Warren, corridor planning manager for the state Department of Transportation. No money has been secured for the project. Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.

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