PORT ANGELES — Two teenagers were injured in an early morning rollover wreck Sunday in the Mount Pleasant area.
At about 1:30 a.m., 18-year-old Port Angeles resident Jacob Backus and two passengers — James Cook, also 18 and of Port Angeles, and a 17-year old male Port Angeles resident — were driving a tan 1991 Honda Accord north on Glass Road when the car came over a rise and Backus lost control of the vehicle, said Deputy Josh Ley, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office accident reconstruction specialist.
The Honda rolled at least 11/2 times, hit a tree and was spun around when it came to rest off the roadway, Ley said.
Cook was able to get out of the car and went to the nearest house for help, and neighbors also heard the wreck and called 9-1-1 on their own, he said.
Backus was injured and was taken to Olympic Medical Center, where he was in satisfactory condition Sunday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The 17-year-old passenger was seriously injured and taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
He was not identified because of his age, and Harborview policy prevents the release of a medical condition unless a name is known.
Cook had only minor scratches and bruises and was not transported for treatment, Ley said.
Backus was not a licensed driver, he said.
Ley said Backus had just purchased the Honda from a seller in Olympia, and a licensed driver drove it from Olympia to Port Angeles.
There was no indication drugs or alcohol were involved in the wreck, he said.
He said excessive speed is likely a factor.
Backus is under investigation for driving without a licence and for reckless driving, Ley said.
No citations had been issued as of Sunday afternoon.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
