A dangerous section of U.S. Highway 2 between Everett and Stevens Pass recently injured yet another victim. The crash was the third serious accident along that section of U.S. 2 in less than a week. According to reports, the latest car accident sent a 56-year-old eastern Washington woman to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with critical injuries.
The accident involved a dump truck that was making a left turn when it collided with the car containing the injured woman. Two other occupants of the car were also injured and taken to a hospital in Monroe.
Just last Friday, the same stretch of highway claimed the life of a 65-year-old Wenatchee man in a three-vehicle collision. The day before, the driver of a stolen vehicle was fatally injured and a father and son hospitalized as the result of yet another accident on the same highway.
Locals have become so accustomed to car accidents occurring along this section of U.S. 2 that they have dubbed it The Highway of Death. Since 1999, there have been 60 deadly crashes on this particular road.
Washington State Police claim that improvements have been made over the last few years to make the area safer, including flashing signs and rumble strips. Police have also stepped up patrols to crack down on speeding and reckless driving along the highway. Despite these efforts, there have been 15 fatal accidents since the additional safety measures were put in place in 2008.
Given the latest trio of accidents along The Highway of Death, it appears there is still a lot to be done in terms of road safety.
Source: HeraldNet.com, “Woman seriously injured in U.S. 2 crash,” Eric Stevick, Sept. 11, 2012
Source: KOMOnews.com, “Crash victims call for changes to dangerous local Highway,” Jamie Lynn, Sept. 11, 2012