A 7-month-old baby boy riding in a pickup Tuesday afternoon in Dollars Corner came away from a two-vehicle crash unharmed, but three adults were taken to hospitals after firefighters cut them from their mangled vehicles.
The crash was reported around 12:40 p.m. at the intersection of Northeast 72nd Avenue and state Highway 502, or Northeast 219th Street.
Clark County Fire & Rescue Division Chief Tim Dawdy said a blue, four-door Dodge Neon and a pickup truck collided at the intersection.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Will Finn said the blue Neon was heading north on 72nd Avenue toward Highway 502, and the pickup was heading west on the highway.
Troopers found that passenger Ryan L. Poland, 35, and driver Rebecca L. Lingle, 18, both of Battle Ground, were engaged in a heated argument, Finn said. Lingle didn’t notice that the traffic light was red, blew through the intersection and struck the pickup, sending it rolling, according to police.
Firefighters used a hydraulic cutting tool to extract them from the car, Dawdy said.
The pickup’s driver also needed to be cut loose, Dawdy said, as did a baby riding with her. The driver was identified by troopers as Charlene K. Ross, 50, of Battle Ground.
Finn said the pickup driver suffered head trauma, and her arm was pinned in the rolled truck.
The baby, also of Battle Ground, was properly restrained, Dawdy said, “which greatly contributed to the baby being completely uninjured, even though the truck was rolled over.”
All three adults were taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center for their injuries, which Dawdy described as serious. All three were wearing seat belts, the state patrol said. Their conditions were not available Tuesday night.
A trooper specially trained to identify signs of drug and alcohol use in drivers determined that Lingle was impaired, and investigators found prescription drugs in plain sight inside the car, police said. Lingle faces two counts of vehicular assault, according to the state patrol.
For a time, the response and investigation of the crash blocked west lanes of Highway 502, as well as the intersection at Dollars Corner. The Washington State Department of Transportation said the scene was cleared shortly after 4 p.m.
Finn said the state patrol’s dispatch center received multiple calls from motorists about the delay.
However, because traffic detectives were investigating the crash as a possible vehicular assault, crews were unable to move any vehicles or clear the roadway for fear of disturbing the evidence.
“This is a crime scene. We have to treat it as such,” he said. “We appreciate everyone’s patience in these situations. We understand it is an inconvenience.”
This story has been updated from its original version.
