PORT LUDLOW — A Jefferson County Sheriff’s sergeant was transported to Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton after a two-vehicle collision on state Highway 104.
First responders transported Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Andrew W. Pernsteiner, 44, of Port Townsend to the hospital following the 7:45 p.m. wreck Sunday.
Pernsteiner has since been released and is in good condition with a little muscle soreness, according to Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Stanko, who visited Pernsteiner on Monday.
Minor injuries
“No broken bones and no lasting damage,” Stanko said. “We’re very grateful because you can replace cars, but you can’t replace people.”
Pernsteiner was driving a fully marked Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office vehicle westbound on Highway 104 at the time of the wreck, according to a State Patrol report.
Pernsteiner’s passenger was his wife, Melissa E. Pernsteiner, 40, who was in the vehicle for a ride-along while her husband was on duty, according to Stanko. Melissa Pernsteiner was not injured.
The driver of the other vehicle, Michael C. Tyler, 58, of Chimacum also sustained no injuries.
The State Patrol related that both vehicles — Tyler in a 2012 Kia Soul SUV and Pernsteiner in a red 2014 Ford Explorer — were at milepost 13.6 at the time of the collision.
No drugs, alcohol
Drugs and alcohol were not involved in the wreck, they said. All of the wreck victims were wearing restraints.
The highway was partially blocked with alternating traffic for almost three and a half hours.
The State Patrol said the cause of the collision is under investigation.
According to Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Chief Criminal Investigator Arthur Frank, Pernsteiner was attempting to make a U turn on Highway 104 to assist with a collision on the eastbound shoulder.
Frank said Monday that Pernsteiner had slowed and signaled that he was making a turn when Tyler, in the Kia Soul, attempted to pass him and hit the back end of the Ford Explorer.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
