CAMANO ISLAND — A young mother’s minivan went off the road Tuesday morning, leaving her with serious injuries and killing two children.
Tanya Canell, 23, of Camano Island, remains in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Additional information about the children, described as 5 months old and 3 years old, was not made public.
Washington State Patrol troopers believe the crash was caused by icy, foggy conditions on a curvy stretch of N. Sunrise Boulevard, near Terry’s Corner.
The crash was reported at 7:22 a.m. The northbound minivan went off the road, struck a tree and caught fire, said Sgt. Mark Francis with the Washington State Patrol. The van continued into an embankment and became engulfed in flames.
The woman was alert when emergency crews arrived. She had obvious injuries from the fire and was taken in an airlift helicopter to Harborview. Everyone in the van was wearing the appropriate restraints, according to a State Patrol memo.
“Weather could have been a factor,” Francis said. “There is no initial indication of impairment.”
N. Sunrise Boulevard is a heavily shaded two-lane road with multiple curves. Temperatures on the island were hovering around freezing hours after the crash.
The roadway curves to the left where the minivan went off to the right, Francis said.
A man who was the first to spot the fiery wreck and call 911 received burns to his hands when he tried to help, Francis said.
The woman’s public Facebook page says she works at a local pizza shop and attended Arlington High School. The page says she moved to the island a little more than a year ago.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rikkiking.
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