Three people were injured, one critically, in a T-bone accident Friday afternoon on Interstate 5 southbound in La Center.
Just before 3 p.m., Portland resident Thuy Vu, 55, attempted to merge onto I-5 south from Exit 16 in her 1989 Dodge Dynasty, but there was already a semitrailer in the right lane, said Trooper Will Finn, spokesman for the Washington State Patrol. Vu veered to the right to avoid hitting the big rig then overcorrected to the left, where her Dynasty was hit broadside by a 2005 Buick LeSabre, Finn said.
Vu was transported to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in critical condition with a head injury. The driver of the LeSabre, Margaret Sundstrom, 66, of Randle, was also transported to PeaceHealth with minor injuries. Her passenger, William Little, 68, was injured but not transported.
The right and middle lanes of I-5 southbound were blocked near the crash site while the State Patrol investigated. Traffic was backed up about eight miles, past Woodland, Finn said. Both cars were totalled in the collision.
Charges are pending further investigation of the cause of the crash.
