PORT TOWNSEND — The conditions of three people airlifted to a Seattle hospital after a car smashed into a tree Thursday were upgraded from critical to serious Saturday.
Paul Davis, 40; his daughter, Ella Davis, 11; and her friend Lily Teagarden, 12, were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center after the crash, which was shortly before 4 p.m. on Umatilla Avenue in Port Townsend.
They were listed in critical condition Friday.
Davis and his wife, Jenny, own the Public House Grill & Ales in Port Townsend.
Excessive speed appeared to be a factor in the single-car wreck, said Sgt. Troy Surber of the Port Townsend Police Department.
State Patrol troopers were expected to inspect the vehicle for possible mechanical failure Saturday, Surber said, adding that a report is likely in a couple of weeks.
Davis was driving east in a Buick LeSabre on Umatilla Avenue when he lost control and ran into a tree, according to Bill Beezley, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman.
Firefighters arrived to find Davis and his daughter trapped in the car, while Teagarden was outside the car being comforted by a passer-by, Beezley said.
Davis and his daughter were extricated with the Jaws of Life, a hydraulic rescue tool with which firefighters tore back the front doors to reach them; were driven to Jefferson Healthcare; and were immediately airlifted to Harborview.
Teagarden was taken to Jefferson Healthcare, where it was determined her injuries were more serious than what was originally determined, and she was airlifted later in the afternoon.
No citation has been issued in the crash.
There has been no reason to suspect alcohol or drug involvement, Surber added, although a blood draw was taken because of the severity of the injuries.
The investigation is continuing, he said.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
