A Vancouver teenager was injured in a Monday evening crash on Interstate 5 in Woodland that police say was caused by driver inattention.
Jessica Mayfield, 14, was a passenger in a Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Katheryn Stufflebean, 36, of Victoria, Texas. Shortly after 5 p.m., they were southbound in the center lane of I-5 near Horseshoe Lake and slowed for traffic. Workers were installing a system of cables and tarps on the North Fork Lewis River Bridge as part of a bridge-painting project, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
A Dodge Ram pickup, also heading south, slowed for traffic and attempted to change lanes to the left, but struck the Tahoe, according to the Washington State Patrol. The Ram crossed the roadway and struck the cable barrier next to the median. The driver of the Ram, Danny Wing, 26, of Vancouver was cited by Washington State Patrol for following too closely.
Mayfield was transported to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, where she was under evaluation Monday night. Wing and Stufflebean were not injured.
The bridge work had the freeway down to two lanes in both directions near the bridge. Other Monday collisions near the work site compounded traffic problems.
