Several serious automobile accidents were reported across Grays Harbor, Mason and Pacific counties over the weekend, including one that killed a McCleary man and another that sent the president of the Ocosta School Board to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Deborah Ann Carter-Bowhay, 61, the school board president, was traveling northbound on Highway 105 near Jackson Street in Cohassett Beach south of Westport Sunday morning when the car she was driving was struck head-on by a GMC Caballero driven by 54-year-old Ralph Edward Gillispie of Olympia. State Patrol investigators say the southbound GMC crossed the center line. Both vehicles were a total loss and both Carter-Bowhay and the driver of the GMC were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. According to a spokesperson at Harborview, as of Monday afternoon both were listed in serious condition. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
McCleary area crash
A McCleary man was killed and two others injured when the Chevrolet Silverado they were in left the roadway and struck a tree as they were traveling eastbound on Highway 108 about six miles east of McCleary on Saturday afternoon. Harley Harmon, 33, was a passenger in the vehicle and was killed. Another passenger, a 28-year-old woman from Akron, Ind., was taken to Mason General Hospital with undisclosed injuries.
According to the State Patrol, the driver, a 25-year-old man from Salkum in Lewis County, could be charged with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. Investigators said the truck was traveling at a high rate of speed and the driver was unable to negotiate a curve, which caused the accident.
Raymond crash
An attempted U-turn on Highway 101 at Franklin Street in Raymond ended with a two-car collision that sent two Raymond residents to the hospital Sunday afternoon, according to a statement released by the Washington State Patrol.
A black and white 2010 Dodge Charger driven by a 33-year-old Raymond man and a red GMC Sierra pickup driven by a 52-year-old Raymond woman were both traveling northbound at around 1:30 p.m. when, according to the report, the Charger pulled to the shoulder and the two vehicles collided in the northbound lane.
Both drivers were injured. Two passengers in the GMC, a 52-year-old woman and a 20-year-old male, both of Raymond, were uninjured. All were wearing seatbelts, according to the report, and the injured were taken to Willapa Harbor Hospital with undisclosed injuries.
The State Patrol is investigating the incident, but do not believe drugs or alcohol were factors. No charges have been filed.