BRINNON — A single-car rollover wreck backed up traffic for 5 miles on U.S. Highway 101 the day after the closure of the Hood Canal Bridge prompted unusually heavy use of the road that runs along the Hood Canal.
Three of the four people — all from Richmond, Ind. — in the 2008 Ford Escape car went to Mason General Hospital in Shelton for treatment of minor injuries after the crash 7 miles south of Brinnon at 3:15 p.m. Saturday, said State Patrol spokeswoman Trooper Krista Hedstrom.
The car, driven by Richard McGuire, 58, was traveling south when it ran off the highway to the right, climbed a small dirt embankment and rolled onto its roof, the State Patrol said in a statement.
The wreck blocked traffic in both directions for 41 minutes, Hedstrom said.
Traffic was backed up for up to 5 miles in the southbound lane and up to 2 miles in the northbound lane, she said.
The state Department of Transportation opened one lane that permitted one-way, alternating traffic until both lanes were open by 4:50 p.m.
Friday’s closure of the Hood Canal Bridge contributed to the congestion, Hedstrom said.
“We’re getting a lot higher traffic volume for that area because of the bridge” closure, she said.
“There’s usually really not a lot of traffic going through there.”
The bridge was closed shortly after midnight early Friday morning for six weeks to permit replacement of its east side.
Highway 101 offers a way around the canal.
The State Patrol attributed the cause of the wreck to inattention on the part of the driver.
The three passengers were Sonja McGuire, 57; Erwin Ketchum, 84; and Mary Ketchum, 84.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
