PORT ANGELES — Two people died in separate vehicle crashes on Saturday, including an artist from Sequim who was hit while standing at a turnout on Hurricane Ridge Road.
The collisions marked the first Clallam County road fatalities of 2006.
Suzanne Lindenberg Arnold, 61, of Sequim died Saturday afternoon from injuries sustained when she was hit by a pickup truck that was coming down Hurricane Ridge Road about 1.5 miles from the Ridge, said Olympic National Park spokeswoman Barb Maynes.
Peter Joseph Jancola, 70, of Bainbridge Island died in surgery at Harborview Medical Center at about 2:30 p.m. after being airlifted from Port Angeles following a Saturday morning two-car collision on U.S. Highway 101 near North Bagley Creek Road, State Patrol reported.
Attending painting class
Arnold was attending a private painting class at the turnoff, a sharp bend in the road called Maggie’s Corner, Maynes said.
The road had been sanded, Maynes said, but snow fell on the road before 2:30 p.m. when a Ford F-150 pickup truck lost control on the curve and slid into the cars parked at the turnout, striking Arnold.
The 31-year-old Port Angeles man driving the truck has not been identified. He was not injured in the crash, Maynes said.
Park rangers will continue to investigate the crash, Maynes said.
The investigation into the crash that led to the death of Jancola is under investigation, said Trooper Brian George, a spokesman for Washington State Patrol.
Involved in the crash was Willis Fred Gormley, 77, of Port Angeles.
Gormley, driving a 1992 Jeep Cherokee, allegedly failed to yield the right of way to Jancola when he pulled into the westbound lanes of U.S. Highway 101 in front of the 1990 Ford two-door vehicle that Jancola was driving, a statement from the State Patrol said.
Both men were wearing seat belts, the statement said.
Gormley sustained minor injuries from the crash.
