6 Olympic Peninsula residents hurt in trio of crashes; 3 airlifted to Seattle’s Harborview hospital

Six North Olympic Peninsula residents were injured — three seriously — in three unrelated wrecks over two days.

The crashes included a two-car head-on collision on U.S. Highway 101 east of Sequim on Saturday, a three-car chain-reaction wreck Saturday on the Highway 101 Sequim bypass, and a Port Townsend pedestrian who was hit by two vehicles near Port Hadlock on Friday.

Two children and two adults were injured at 1:20 p.m. Saturday after a GMC C10 pickup collided head-on with a Toyota Prius C sedan on Highway 101 about 3 miles east of Sequim, the State Patrol said.

The State Patrol said Ronald J. Wilcox, 59, of Port Angeles was driving a pickup westbound on Highway 101 when he swerved over the center line to avoid stopped traffic waiting to turn left onto Louella Road and collided with an eastbound Prius driven by Logan Aisling, 45, of Port Angeles.

Mindy Aisling, 35, and Noah Carlson, 11, passengers in the Prius, were taken by ambulance to Olympic Medical Center, then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where they were both in serious condition Sunday, according to a Harborview spokeswoman.

Cori J. Wilcox, 14, a passenger in the pickup, and Logan Aisling were taken to Olympic Medical Center, where they were treated and released, an OMC spokeswoman said Sunday.

Logan Aisling is a chemistry teacher at Port Angeles High School and an Outward Bound fitness instructor.

His wife, Mindy, is an advertising sales representative for the Peninsula Daily News and owner of Amita Life Coaching in Port Angeles. Noah Carlson is their son.

Ronald Wilcox, who was not injured in the crash, was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the State Patrol said.

He was booked into the Clallam County jail for investigation of vehicular assault and remained in the jail Sunday afternoon.

Highway 101 was closed for 2 hours and 20 minutes by the 1:20 p.m. crash, the State Patrol said.

Both drivers and their passengers were wearing seat belts, the State Patrol said. Both vehicles were destroyed.

A 34-year-old Sequim man taken to the hospital after a chain-reaction crash on Highway 101 in Sequim had been treated and released as of Sunday morning, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Michael Lee Davis of Sequim, was driving a 2002 Kia Rio eastbound on Highway 101 at the Sequim Avenue exit at about 3:55 p.m. Saturday, when it crashed into a 2013 Honda Ridgeline pickup that had stopped or slowed for traffic, resulting in a chain reaction that also included a 2012 Honda CRV and a 2014 Hyundai Elantra.

The other vehicles were operated by drivers from Federal Way, Gig Harbor and Kenmore, who were uninjured, a State Patrol report said.

Davis was transported to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, where he was treated and released, a hospital spokeswoman said Sunday.

The Kia and the Ridgeline were destroyed, according to the State Patrol. The other two vehicles were damaged but driven from the scene.

Inattention and speed to fast for conditions were cited by the State Patrol as the cause of the crash.

The report said that Davis was cited for speed too fast for conditions.

A Port Townsend pedestrian was hit by two cars on state Highway 19 south of Port Hadlock on Friday night remained in serious condition at Harborview on Sunday.

Steven A. Springgate, 21, was airlifted to the Seattle hospital after being struck by a 1987 Ford Crown Victoria driven by Natalia M. Collier, 29, of Chimacum, then a 1995 Ford Contour driven by Jason L. McCloskey, 34, of Oak Harbor, according to a State Patrol report.

The report said that, at 8:17 p.m., Springgate walked into the southbound lane of Highway 19 near Charles Street and was struck by the southbound Crown Victoria.

Springgate landed in a center turn lane, the State Patrol said.

Collier told investigators that Springgate was standing in the middle of the lane with his hands in his pockets before the impact.

Springgate was wearing dark clothing.

Collier, who was not injured ran to a nearby restaurant, and two restaurant customers followed Collier back to the scene and tried to direct traffic into the restaurant parking lot, according to an East Jefferson Fire-Rescue report.

An oncoming Ford Contour driven by Jason McCloskey instead “swerved into the center turn lane” and “ran over the victim and dragged him approximately 75 feet,” according to the report.

The state Department of Transportation closed both directions of state Highway 19 from 8:36 p.m. to 11:02 p.m.

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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.

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