Woman seriously hurt in Fourth Plain crash

A 45-year-old Camas woman was seriously injured this morning after a driver crossed into an oncoming lane and hit her vehicle head on, police said.

The woman, Brenda E. Matthews, was trapped inside her 1994 Honda Civic and had to be extricated by Vancouver firefighters. She was rushed to Southwest Washington Medical Center with serious injuries, said Vancouver Fire Capt. Kevin Murray.
This morning, Matthews was listed in serious condition.


Meanwhile, the driver, a 27-year-old Vancouver man, Marshall O. Peppel, was transported for less serious injuries, Murray said. Peppel was not listed in Southwest's public directory, a hospital spokesman said.


The crash happened at 4:23 a.m. on Fourth Plain Boulevard just west of Interstate 5. The man was driving a Ford pickup east when he crossed the center lane and hit the Honda, according to a Vancouver Police Department bulletin.

Investigators don't know what caused Peppel to cross into oncoming lanes, the bulletin said.