PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Two separate crashes Wednesday morning took the lives of 2 men in southwest Washington, one along SR14 and the other a tow truck driver on I-5.
A 60-year-old Washougal driver died when he entered a traffic circle the wrong way and struck an oncoming car, the Washington State Patrol said.
Shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday, Michael Merwin was headed west on SR14 when he entered into the traffic circle at Washougal River Road the wrong way. Merwin slammed into a car driven by Thomas Wright of Vancouver.
Merwin died at the scene. Wright, 64, was injured and taken to PeaceHealth Southwest for treatment. His condition was not released at this time.
I-5 crash
Another crash took the life of a 33-year-old Kalama tow truck driver who was helping a disabled motorist along southbound I-5 around 10:30 a.m., WSP said.
Raymond Mitchell was on the right shoulder near Milepost 29 helping the disabled driver. A semi-truck moved from the center to the right lane and tried to slow for traffic but the rear trailer slid to the right.
The trailer hit Mitchell and the tow truck. He died at the scene.
Investigators said the truck was going too fast for the conditions. The case remains under investigation and charges are possible.