Freeland accident kills Idaho woman

Four Islanders also hurt in Double Bluff crash

“A 77-year-old Idaho woman driving with relatives near Freeland died Monday afternoon when the car in which she was riding collided with a vehicle that attempted to cross an intersection.According to the Washington State Patrol, Anna Wright of Eagle, Idaho, was fatally jostled in the front passenger seat of a 1994 Saturn driven by Carey Arnold, 25, of Langley. The Saturn was traveling toward Freeland on Double Bluff Road at about 11:45 a.m. when a 1981 Mercedes sedan driven by Kyleah Artis, 23, of Freeland, attempted to cross to Millman Road. Arnold’s Saturn struck the Mercedes in its passenger side door. The impact sent both cars into the front yard of a home on the corner of Double Bluff and Millman. Wright was pulled by aid personnel from an undamaged portion of the Saturn. She was talking and alert as paramedics and Fire Protection District 3 emergency medical technicians placed her on a stretcher and rolled her into a Whidbey General Hospital ambulance. However, the woman sustained internal injuries from the shock of the crash and was flown to Harborview Medical Center as soon as the ambulance arrived at Whidbey General. The woman died at the Seattle hospital.Also injured in the crash were Artis, who was taken to Whidbey General for treatment for neck, back, head and leg injuries. Artis’ passenger, 5-year-old Makayla Artis, was also hurt in the crash, suffering neck, back, and head injuries.In the Saturn, driver Carey Arnold was treated at Whidbey General for neck, back, and leg injuries. Passenger Julia Arnold, 4, was treated for abrasions and facial bruising.Later in the day, five Clinton residents were shaken while driving on Highway 20 in Skagit County. Iola Helland, 49, was driving a 1999 Chevrolet Astrovan westbound on the highway when a 1989 Honda Civic driven by Caleb Lotze, 17, of Burlington attempted to make a right-hand turn in front of the van. The vehicles collided. Helland, along with Gail, Darren, Kathleen, and Jacob Helland, escaped the accident unhurt, as did Lotze and his passengers, Mary and Heidi Lotze. Cigne William, 78, was the only person hurt in the crash. She was riding with Helland, and was treated for neck pain at Skagit Valley Hospital.And on Sunday, people waiting in a long ferry line witnessed a potentially injurious two-car collision at the intersection of Humphrey Road and Highway 525. According to the Washington State Patrol, a Volkswagen Cabriolet driven by Carla Carlson collided with a pickup truck. The patrol report stated that Carlson was treated for a minor arm injury and was given a ride to the Clinton ferry to make her way home. Her car was totaled in the crash. The names of the occupants of the pickup truck were unavailable.”