Yet another wreck on U.S. 2 injures four people in Baring

Published 11:19 pm Friday, July 10, 2009

MONROE — For the second day in a row, the signs along U.S. 2 that count the days since a serious crash were reset to zero.

On Friday, a T-bone crash near Baring, 11 miles east of Gold Bar, injured four people and sent three to the hospital. A Baring man, 78, was flown to a Seattle trauma center with serious injuries.

That collision comes a day after a fatal crash on U.S. 2 near Monroe. A man in a pickup truck appears to have crossed the center line and smashed into a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy near the western intersection with Roosevelt Road, officials said.

“These are both collisions that are purely due to a driver making a poor decision,” Washington State Patrol trooper Keith Leary said.

Wednesday’s death marked the 51st person to have died on U.S. 2 between Snohomish and Stevens Pass since 1999, state accident data shows.

The identity of the man who died Thursday has not been released.

The deputy, James Headrick, was injured and taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was expected to be released Friday, Leary said.

Crash detectives on Friday said initial evidence indicates that the driver of the pickup had crossed into the oncoming lanes.

“We’re fairly sure, but it will take a long time to come to a conclusion,” Leary said. “Those guys are very, very thorough in what they do.”

Investigators also are examining what led to Friday’s crash in eastern Snohomish County.

Just after 10 a.m., a large pickup slammed into a compact sedan that was making a left turn into the Baring Store’s parking lot, Leary said.

“This collision was a case of a driver making the wrong mistake by turning in front of another car,” he said. “This portion of road is straight, flat and has great visibility.”

Troopers want the numbers of days on the safety signs to climb.

They’re concerned about hundreds of motorcycles expected to be traveling to Sultan for this weekend’s Shindig, especially given the road construction that has torn up much of the highway.

“Even in a car, it’s pretty bumpy,” Leary said. “Take extra caution out there.”

Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.