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Woman killed in head-on crash in Mason County has been identified

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A woman who died Friday evening in a head-on crash on state Route 3 in Mason County has been identified, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Karen N. Sample, 62, of Index, Washington, was one of three people in a vehicle that was headed south on the highway at milepost 13 about 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Meanwhile, a 28-year-old driver and a passenger were headed north in a truck. Troopers say the truck driver attempted to avoid another vehicle in the northbound lane and drove into the southbound lane, crashing into the three people from Index.

Troopers are looking for that other vehicle and driver, Trooper Robert Reyer said Sunday morning. He described the car as a gold-colored Ford Crown Victoria.

Sample died at the scene, according to the State Patrol. A 62-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman in the same vehicle were injured and taken to Tacoma General Hospital.

The truck driver suffered a minor injury but his passenger was seriously injured and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

During the investigation, traffic was slowed in the area for more than five hours.

This story was originally published October 9, 2022 at 12:34 PM.

Rolf Boone
The Olympian
Rolf has worked at The Olympian since August 2005. He covers breaking news, the city of Lacey and business for the paper. Rolf graduated from The Evergreen State College in 1990. Support my work with a digital subscription
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