Washington State Patrol is seeking witnesses to a northbound Interstate 5 hit-and-run crash in Ridgefield that sent four people to the hospital.
Troopers were dispatched at 7:07 p.m. Thursday to the crash just south of I-5 Exit 14, according to a WSP news release.
Trooper Will Finn said in an email that 51-year-old John L. Worcester was northbound on the freeway driving a 2000 Ford Expedition. His parents, Patricia and Paul Worcester, 79 and 87, respectively, and their friend Garron Slocum, 49, were passengers.
Worcester was in the right lane when a red sedan left the road to the left, struck a barrier and swerved back toward the Ford SUV, Finn said. Worcester swerved to the right to avoid a collision, but he lost control and his vehicle rolled onto its passenger side, he said.
The red vehicle briefly stopped at the scene, and then continued driving northbound, troopers said.
“As a result of the collision, all four occupants of the Expedition were injured. One passenger suffered the most serious injuries with a fractured sternum and multiple ribs,” Finn said.
All four people in the SUV were taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center. Two of them were seriously injured, according to the news release.
All but three of the people hospitalized have been treated and released, according to a hospital spokesman. Patricia Worcester is listed as being in satisfactory condition.
Now, detectives are looking for the red, four-door sedan, which possibly has front-end damage. They are seeking any additional witnesses to the crash, or details about the driving behavior of the person in the red car leading up to or after it.
Anyone who was traveling through the area from 7 p.m. until 7:15 p.m. and has dash-cam video should review their recordings for the fleeing vehicle, troopers said.
The footage and any additional information should be directed to detective Michael Huhta at 360-449-7941 or michael.huhta@wsp.wa.gov.
