FORKS – Two people died when the car in which they were traveling crashed into a tree along U.S. Highway 101 south of Forks.
The impact of the crash sent the couple, who were not wearing seat belts, through the rear window, a State Patrol trooper said.
Stephen G. Pettibone, 28, and Tiffany Alice Eastman, 24, both of Forks, were traveling south on Highway 101 at Honor Camp Road in Jefferson County – about 18 miles south of Forks – about 10:40 p.m. Sunday.
The 1998 Ford Mustang, with Pettibone behind the wheel, left the highway at a point where the road turns slightly to the left, Trooper Ken Ahrens said.
The car continued off the asphalt and onto dirt for about 300 feet when it hit the tree in the West End darkness.
“They hit the tree at sort of an angle and it was like a ramp,” Ahrens said, “and it launched them back toward the road.”
