Woman airlifted to Harborview after head-on collision in Rochester

A head-on collision in Rochester Thursday evening resulted in a woman being airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office reports.

At about 5 p.m. Thursday, a four-door pickup truck crashed into a minivan carrying four children and a woman on Old Highway 9. The resulting collision sent the minivan into an embankment and its driver, a Centralia woman, to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle via helicopter.

The head-on collision occurred when the driver of the pickup was heading northwest on Old Highway 9 at the same time the minivan was heading southeast. The pickup crossed into the center lane of the highway, smashing into the front driver’s side of the minivan, Thurston County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Roland Weiss said.

Seven emergency response vehicles showed up to assist those injured in the crash, said Assistant Chief Rob Smith of West Thurston Regional Fire.

When evaluated on the scene, first responders determined the Centralia woman who was driving the minivan had serious injuries, according to Weiss. She was soon airlifted from the scene to Seattle. Her condition was unknown Friday.

The four children in the minivan and the 22-year-old male driver of the pickup all had minor injuries that did not require hospitalization. They were evaluated and cleared by medics at the site of the crash.

It took two hours for Old Highway 9 to be cleared of debris and the two damaged vehicles.

The driver of the truck is considered to be the inciting offender and could face charges of driving with a suspended license in the second-degree and was issued a citation for driving without insurance.

This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 10:36 AM.