COUPEVILLE — A fiery crash Saturday on Whidbey Island was followed by a car wreck and fire Sunday in Seattle.
The fatalities in both incidents should remind drivers that they are operating potential weapons on the road, said Washington State Patrol trooper Keith Leary.
“People are so worried about their schedules and where they have to be today, that we often aren’t thinking about our safety or the safety of the people in our vehicles or of those around us,” Leary said. “We need to remember that we carry many gallons of fuel in our cars and trucks.”
Three young men were killed early Saturday morning when a car driven by an 18-year-old woman from Langley struck a tree and then burst into flames. There was significant damage to the car’s engine compartment, Leary said.
Autopsies are scheduled to be completed today and the identities of the three men should be released no later than Wednesday morning, said Susan Higman, deputy Island County Coroner.
“South Whidbey Island is a small community. It’s been very hard on everybody,” Higman said.
Two of the young men killed in the crash were from Whidbey Island. One, 22, was from Freeland and the other, 20, was from Langley. The third person killed in the accident was a 19-year old from Palmdale, Calif.
Witnesses pulled the driver from the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu she was driving. She was taken to Whidbey General Hospital in Coupeville. Her injuries were considered minor, Leary said.
After the driver was released from the hospital Saturday morning, she was arrested for investigation of vehicular homicide and booked into Island County jail, where she has had an initial hearing and is being held on $150,000 bail, Leary said.
The accident occurred just after midnight on Wilkinson Road near Meandor Lane south of Langley.
The car was southbound on Wilkinson when it veered off the roadway to the right and struck a tree. It soon was engulfed in flames.
A fiery car crash in which two people died and three others were injured closed Lake City Way in northeast Seattle on Sunday afternoon and evening.
The driver of a Ford Explorer rear-ended a Hyundai sedan stopped at a traffic light. The car caught fire and the two people inside died. The people in the Ford, including the driver, were all taken to the hospital.
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