Series of accidents in county leave three injured

Herald staff

Three people were hurt in three separate crashes Thursday and Friday, including a man severely injured in a wreck that shut down two northbound lanes of I-5 in Everett for four hours early Friday.

Yong J. Ghim, 27, of Lynnwood was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after a two-vehicle crash about 2:45 a.m. Friday on I-5 just south of the Broadway/Naval Station Everett offramp. Ghim suffered massive injuries to his upper body when he was ejected from his car due to the impact. He was listed in critical condition Friday night.

Ghim was northbound when he lost control and his 1993 Mazda RX7 and it struck the guardrail and bounced off, according to the Washington State Patrol. A northbound 2000 Isuzu box van driven by Glenn W. McEachern, 44, of Everett collided with Ghim’s car, sending it back into the guardrail.

Ghim was ejected, landing on the right shoulder.

McEachern’s van continued north, then struck the guardrail and stopped on the right shoulder. McEachern was not injured.

Meanwhile, a Langley man suffered severe facial injuries and a head injury in a crash about 9:25 p.m. Thursday when his southbound 1983 Buick ran off Deer Lake Road near Plum Tree Lane and struck a power pole.

Jason Richard Royds, 18, struck the windshield, the State Patrol said. He was taken to Whidbey General Hospital and later was airlifted to Harborview, where he was listed Friday night in satisfactory condition.

In a separate crash about 8:35 a.m. Thursday, one person was injured in a four-vehicle crash on I-405 southbound just south of Exit 26, the State Patrol said.

A 1991 Ford van driven by Michael D. Merritt, 42, of Bothell was southbound just south of Highway 527 when it collided with three other vehicles that were stopped for traffic, the State Patrol said.

The other drivers were John Coble, 31, of Edmonds; Zebulon A. Middleton of Everett; and John F. Zimmerman, 40, of Bow.

Coble suffered neck and back injuries and was taken to Evergreen Hospital. Zimmerman complained of neck and back injuries but refused aid, the State Patrol said. The other two drivers and a passenger in Merritt’s van were not injured.

Also, a Billings, Mont., man injured in a crash Nov. 5 that killed three people and left three others injured near Duvall has been upgraded from critical to serious condition at Harborview.

Larry J. Brown, 38, remains on a ventilator and has two broken legs and multiple abdominal injuries, a nursing supervisor said.

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