Two injured when driver veers off U.S. 101 and down an embankment early Thursday
A car carrying three people veered off U.S. 101 and crashed into an embankment in Mason County early Thursday morning.
The collision occurred at about 1 a.m. on U.S. 101 near West Shelton Matlock Road, according to a Washington State Patrol press memo.
A 50-year-old Elma man was driving south on the highway when he swerved to the right to avoid a deer. The memo says the vehicle left the roadway on the right, went down an embankment, and came to a rest on its top 50 feet below the highway.
A 43-year-old Elma woman and a 5-year-old Elma girl were passengers in the vehicle, according to the memo. First responders transported the adults to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia with injuries.
The child was not injured but the memo says she was transported to the hospital as a precaution. Troopers reported that all three wore seatbelts.
The driver faces two potential charges, third-degree driving on a suspended license and second-degree negligent driving, according to the memo.
The cause of the collision remained under investigation Thursday. The memo indicates troopers don’t believe drugs or alcohol were involved.
