Monroe man, 32, dies in U.S. 2 wreck

Published 9:08 pm Saturday, August 9, 2008

SULTAN – A head-on crash along U.S. 2 west of Sultan killed a Monroe man and injured a Snohomish man late Friday night, the Washington State Patrol reported.

The Monroe man, 32, was driving an Acura Integra westbound on the highway, crossed the centerline and crashed into a sport-utility vehicle and then into a pickup truck in the highway’s eastbound lane, trooper Keith Leary said. The crash happened around 10:30 p.m. near the highway’s intersection with E. Fern Bluff Road between Monroe and Sultan.

The Monroe man died at the scene. That marked the 50th death on U.S. 2 in crashes and accidents since 1999 between Snohomish and Stevens Pass, state accident data shows. Of all the fatalities, 18 occurred in crossover collisions.

The driver of the pickup, a 60-year-old Snohomish man, suffered neck injuries and was transferred to Valley General Hospital in Monroe, Leary said. Three people in the sport-utility vehicle were not injured.

Officials are investigating what caused the Acura Integra to cross the centerline.

Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.