PORT TOWNSEND — The State Patrol plans to seek a felony vehicular assault charge against a Port Townsend driver whose pickup truck crashed into a tree and rolled, trapping and badly injuring all three occupants in an early Saturday morning wreck on state Highway 20.
The State Patrol said in its report that speed was the cause of the wreck and that drugs or alcohol were involved.
All three who were in the car were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after the 1:29 a.m. crash at Milepost 1 on Highway 20, the State Patrol and East Jefferson Fire-Rescue said.
A Harborview spokeswoman said later Saturday that the hospital had no record of any of the three people.
Eldridge Taylour, 25, the driver, and his two Port Townsend passengers, Gregory W. Bolling, 23, and Amelia R. Syska-Patten, 20, were flown to the Seattle hospital after several helicopters from Airlift Northwest landed at an improvised zone at the junction of U.S. Highway 101 and state Highway 104, said Bill Beezley, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman.
No record could be found of the three at several other hospitals or at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office in Seattle.
The State Patrol is asking for witnesses to the crash to contact Detective Joi Haner at 360-473-0147.
The State Patrol memo said that the agency would seek a felony vehicular charge against Taylour.
Haner could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Investigators said Taylour’s 2006 Chevrolet pickup was traveling east on Highway 20 when it failed to negotiate a curve near Eaglemount Road, left the pavement, went over an embankment, struck a tree and overturned onto its side near Discovery Bay.
The three occupants were trapped inside until East Jefferson Fire-Rescue personnel were able to get them out.
Firefighters from Jefferson County Fire District No. 5, Quilcene, Port Ludlow and Clallam County Fire District No. 3 also responded.
