Five people heading to Disneyland injured in rollover crash

Five people from Kelso driving to Portland International Airport to catch a flight to Disneyland were injured Thursday afternoon in a crash on Interstate 5 near Ridgefield.

The crash temporarily blocked several lanes, causing a 6-mile backup on the southbound side of the freeway past Woodland.

Thomas Austin, 53, tried to drive to the left shoulder after a tire blew out on his Chevy Suburban. He lost control of the vehicle, which veered into the median and rolled over, said Washington State Patrol Sgt. Ryan Tanner.

The crash was reported just after 2 p.m. near the Ridgefield truck weigh station. After arriving, first responders put a Life Flight helicopter on standby, but crews later canceled the request. All five occupants of the Suburban were injured and transported to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center by ambulance, Tanner said.

Thomas Austin and two of his passengers, Justin Gillen, 23, and Alyssa Wilson, 25, were treated at the hospital and released later in the day. Passenger Emily Austin, 20, was in satisfactory condition, according to hospital staff Thursday night. Trisha Austin, 46, who was believed to be the most badly injured passenger, was not listed in the public patient directory at PeaceHealth Southwest.

There was no obvious wear on the tire that blew out, Tanner said.

The crash originally closed two lanes on both sides of the freeway, which caused heavy traffic backup in both directions, the Washington State Department of Transportation said. The crash scene was cleared around 4:45 p.m., though southbound traffic remained clogged for a while longer.