By Isabelle Dills
Four people from Whatcom County were injured Sunday, Jan. 9, when a 2003 Toyota Sequoia crashed into an ambulance and another vehicle stopped along Interstate 5.
The Toyota, driven by 36-year-old Everson resident Reanna Rabang, was going north on Interstate 5 near the Bow Hill Road exit shortly before 1 p.m., according to the Washington State Patrol. As it neared the exit, the Toyota spun counter-clockwise and slid into a 2006 Ford Ambulance that was stopped in the gore point — the triangular piece of land between the freeway and the exit.
The Toyota continued to slide and struck a 2001 Ford Explorer that was stopped on the right shoulder of the freeway.
A passenger in the Toyota who was not wearing a seatbelt, Manuel Javier, 41, of Everson, was ejected, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Rabang and one of her passengers, an 11-year-old girl, suffered minor injuries and were transported to Skagit Valley Hospital. Javier was also transported to Skagit Valley Hospital; the extent of his injuries was unknown.
The ambulance had responded to a rollover crash near the Bow Hill Road exit; two medics and three patients were in it when it was struck, Washington State Patrol Trooper Mark Francis said.
One of the medics, Bellingham resident Don Jenkins, suffered minor injuries and was transported to the hospital. A second medic suffered minor injuries.
The Explorer driver, Stephanie Litchfield, 25, of Oak Harbor, and two boys, ages 1 and 3, were being treated inside the ambulance. Litchfield suffered minor injuries; the boys were not injured.
The cause of the Toyota’s crash is under investigation. It wasn’t immediately known if slush on the freeway contributed to Rabang losing control of her vehicle.
Reach ISABELLE DILLS at [email protected] or call 715-2276
