A Vancouver man was killed in a head-on collision with a wrong-way driver on Interstate 5 early Saturday morning, the Washington State Patrol reported.
Stephen M. Wesley of Vancouver died at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center from injuries sustained in the crash, which occurred around 12:13 a.m. Saturday in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 near the Mill Plain Boulevard Exit.
According to the State Patrol, Wesley, 67, was driving north on I-5 when his 1992 Honda Accord was struck head-on by a 2015 Mercedes CL 2 driven by Amy Gaudette of Portland.
The Mercedes was southbound in the northbound lanes of I-5 when it struck the Honda. The Honda came to rest on the right side of I-5 facing the wrong way, while the Mercedes stopped a quarter-mile to the south.
The Vancouver Fire Department arrived at the scene to find Wesley trapped in his car. Using the Jaws of Life, rescuers extracted him from his vehicle in about 10 minutes. Wesley was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Gaudette, 43, was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular homicide. She was uninjured in the collision.
The northbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed for almost five hours.
During the closure, a Washington Department of Transportation truck was struck by another vehicle. A 2013 GMC Terrain was traveling north on I-5 when it struck the agecy’s truck, which was directing traffic off of the closed freeway. No injuries were reported in the second collision, but the driver of the GMC, Charles Jenkins of Portland, faces DUI and reckless endangerment allegations.
