PORT TOWNSEND — A Port Townsend woman was in critical condition Wednesday after a head-on collision between a small pickup truck and a dump truck on Hastings Avenue.
Jane Lee, a 67-year-old resident of Jefferson County just outside Port Townsend, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center on Tuesday night after the wreck near Port Townsend.
Lee had to be extracted from her gray Toyota Tacoma and was taken directly to Jefferson County International Airport to meet an Airlift Northwest helicopter that was waiting for her, according to a news release from East Jefferson Fire-Rescue (EJFR).
According to EJFR, Lee sustained multi-system trauma as a result of the wreck.
She remained at the Seattle hospital Wednesday in critical condition, according to Port Townsend Police Sgt. Troy Surber.
The wreck occurred just before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday on Hastings Avenue near its intersection with Ivy Street.
Lee was westbound on Hastings Avenue and was attempting to pass another vehicle when she collided head-on in the eastbound lane with a Seton Construction dump truck that was hauling an additional trailer, according to EJFR.
The driver of the dump truck, 40-year-old David Moore, swerved across the road after the impact and ran through the tree barrier of a nearby home on the north side of Hastings Avenue.
Moore sustained minor injuries in the crash, according to Surber.
Hastings Avenue was closed from about 4:30 p.m., when first responders from Port Townsend police and EJFR arrived, until 12:46 a.m. Wednesday.
According to EJFR, the dump truck was leaking fuel and hydraulic fluid after the wreck, so EJFR had to clean up the hazardous materials. Damage to the truck’s left wheel also slowed down the cleanup because a special tow truck from Bremerton had to be called in to haul the truck away.
Port Townsend police called in the State Patrol to help with the investigation of the wreck.
Currently, the investigation is still being primarily handled by Port Townsend police, with the State Patrol as a secondary resource at the request of city police.
________
Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
