"Women, children lucky in accident"

"Medics and rescue personnel from Fire Protection District 3 remove Velma Crowder from her Chevrolet Beretta Wednesday after the 83-year-old woman was involved in an automobile accident at the intersection of Bayview Road and Highway 525.Matt Johnson / staff photoTwo women and three young children escaped life-threatening injury by the narrowest of margins Wednesday when two cars collided at the intersection of Highway 525 and Bayview Road.The intersection, which was the site of a fatality accident last year, proved to be more than Velma Crowder, 83, of Langley could negotiate. Crowder, who was driving her 1989 Chevrolet Beretta eastbound on Bayview Road at about noon, attempted to drive across the intersection after stopping to look for oncoming traffic. According to the Washington State Patrol, Crowder did not see a 1997 Dodge Intrepid driven by Freeland resident Cheryl Patterson, 33, bearing down on her in the southbound lane of the highway. Patterson's car struck the Beretta vehicle in the driver's-side door. The force of the impact sent Crowder's car skidding into the ditch on the other side of the highway. Rescuers from Fire District 3 had to use the Jaws of Life to remove the car door before they could pull Crowder free.Crowder suffered back and leg injuries in the impact, while Patterson injured her right ankle. Patterson's passengers, three small children, were not injured in the crash. Both cars were totaled in the accident.The accident forced FD 3 personnel and law enforcement to detour traffic for about an hour. "

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