Man allegedly responsible for series of crashes

Published 9:46 pm Friday, August 3, 2007

SNOHOMISH – An 18-year-old Granite Falls man behind the wheel of a pickup truck is believed to have set off a series of crashes Friday afternoon that sent at least four people to the hospital.

The teen was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries, Lake Stevens Fire Deputy Chief Dave Lingenfelter said.

The first collision happened about 3 p.m. at OK Mill Road and S. Machias Road, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.

The pickup truck reportedly collided with a second pickup, which ricocheted into the path of a sport utility vehicle. No one in those vehicles was injured, Hover said.

The first pickup then drove off, and within minutes collided with two other sport utility vehicles at Machias Cutoff and Williams Road. The driver of the pickup then ran, but was chased down and held by a bystander, Hover said.

The two drivers of the sport utility vehicles were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. A passenger in the suspect’s vehicle was also treated at a nearby hospital, Hover said.

Monroe: Wear a helmet, get a cookie

Firefighters in several Snohomish County areas will be rewarding children who are seen wearing bicycle helmets.

Throughout the summer, firefighters will give out “Safe Rider Citations” to each child they spot. The ticket can be redeemed for a cookie at participating Subway restaurants.

Firefighters will be in marked fire department trucks and uniforms when handing out the citations.

Snohomish County Fire Districts 1, 3 and 7, along with Snohomish County SafeKIDs and Subway are sponsoring the program, said Audrey Duncan, a District 7 spokeswoman.

Low-cost bicycle helmets are available through the fire districts, she said.

Firefighters are trained to teach children and parents the proper way to wear a helmet to help save lives, she said.

Mukilteo: Man injured in house fire Friday

A Mukilteo man suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation during a fire at his home Friday afternoon.

Firefighters were called about 1:40 p.m. to a home in the 700 block of Second Street to find flames in the basement of an old house, Mukilteo Fire Chief Mike Springer said. The fire was out within minutes, he said.

Investigators believe the fire started in a small kitchen area in the basement.

Two people were in the home at the time. One was taken to an Everett hospital for treatment of injuries. The other was not injured, Springer said.

From Herald staff reports