GARDINER — Two Port Hadlock people, one a 7-year-old child, were killed in a head-on collision on U.S. Highway 101 near Gardiner after the driver crossed the centerline.
Shayla R. Umphenour, 33, was killed along with her unidentified 7-year-old passenger when she crossed the centerline to avoid slowing traffic and hit a vehicle driven by Elizabeth H. McDaniel, 66, of Sequim, on Friday, according to a State Patrol memo.
McDaniel was taken to Jefferson Healthcare hospital. She was not listed on the hospital’s patient census on Saturday morning. That means she was not admitted to the hospital. Hospital personnel are prohibited by law from further explanation.
Umphenour was traveling southbound at milepost 278 at about 4:45 p.m. Friday when traffic ahead of her began to slow, troopers said.
She crossed the centerline and crashed head-on into McDaniel’s vehicle, which was traveling northbound, the State Patrol said.
Umphenour’s sedan ended on the northbound shoulder while McDaniel’s came to rest in the middle of the highway, crossing both north- and southbound lanes.
Umphenour and her passenger died at the scene, the State Patrol said.
Neither Umphenour nor the child traveling with her were wearing seat belts, according to the State Patrol. McDaniel was wearing a seat belt, troopers said. It was unknown if drugs or alcohol were involved, they said.
Umphenour’s sedan and McDaniel’s utility vehicle were completely destroyed, according to the State Patrol.
The highway was fully blocked, but the state Department of Transportation said at 7:14 p.m. that one lane of alternating traffic had opened and that it was cleared at 8:57 p.m. Friday.
