Revised: Woman injured in four-car collision on Portland Fair Road

A Friday Harbor woman was in surgery this morning at Harborview Medical Center for injuries she received in a four-car collision on Portland Fair Road late Sunday.

The Sheriff’s Department only identified the woman as a 62-year-old San Juan Island resident. Sheriff Bill Cumming said her injuries were "life-threatening."

The woman’s car had gone off the road shortly before 11 p.m. and two motorists in another car stopped to help her. A third car came over the hill, attempted to brake, and struck the second vehicle, which struck the woman and pinned her underneath. An EMS vehicle driven by EMS Chief Jim Cole struck the third vehicle, the Sheriff’s Department reported.

Firefighters used heavy-lift jacks to lift the vehicle off of the woman, Assistant Fire Chief Brad Creesy said. The woman was flown to Harborview at about 10:50 p.m.

The driver of the first vehicle that crashed at the scene was arrested but later released and his car has been impounded for investigation, Cumming said.

Cumming said the cause of the crashes has not been determined, but he said icy road conditions were a factor; a front wheel of a San Juan Island fire engine went off the road at the scene and another engine used a tow chain to get the engine’s four tires back on the road. The engine sustained no damage and there were no firefighter injuries.

Creesy said a county plow and sander were in the area and went to the scene. “They really helped by putting more sand down so we could get more traction,” he said.

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