A pair of rear-end collisions Friday afternoon on northbound Interstate 205 near Salmon Creek resulted in three people’s being transported to a nearby hospital.
At around 3 p.m., Larry Janssen, 51, of Vancouver failed to brake his 1999 Honda Accord for slow-moving traffic on I-205, rear-ending a 1997 Saturn, the Washington State Patrol said. That started a chain reaction that resulted in damage to a total of four cars, according to the report.
The Saturn’s driver, Renee Kuhn, 41, of Ridgefield, was treated at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center for neck and back pain, and then released.
Ruth Janssen, 88, of Vancouver, a passenger in the Honda Accord, was at the same hospital for chest pain as of 8 p.m., hospital staff said.
Both Janssen’s and Kuhn’s vehicles were totalled. The two other vehicles involved — a 2000 Toyota Camry and a 2006 Subaru Forester — suffered $2,000 and $700 damage, respectively, police said.
Investigators blamed speed and inattention for the crash. The Washington State Patrol cited Janssen for speeding.
Three-vehicle pileup
The second wreck happened around 40 minutes later and less than a mile north of the first.
Police said Erik Jensen, 42, of Rainier was driving a 2009 Kenworth tractor trailer north when he rear-ended a 2005 Ford Expedition, causing the SUV to hit the back of a third vehicle, a 2008 Chevrolet full-size van.
Police said Jensen had been following too closely, but it was not immediately reported whether he received a citation.
One of the SUV’s four passengers — Ava Sin, 7, of West Linn, Ore. — was taken to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center with back and neck pain. She was later released.
Although others reported neck and back pain, nobody else was taken to a hospital.
