Highway 20 wreck forces lane closure and traffic backup

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Traffic on Highway 20 north of Oak Harbor was backed up for miles Friday afternoon when a rollover accident forced the closure of the northbound lane for nearly an hour.

According to Washington State Patrol Trooper Jason Nichols, at about 4 p.m. a 19-year-old Oak Harbor woman was driving southbound in a 2002 Ford Focus in front of Dugualla Bay Farms when she lost control of her vehicle.

“She said she was looking over at the (farm’s) sign when her tires went off the roadway,” Nichols said.

The woman’s vehicle then hit the farm’s roadway entrance, which caused the car to go “airborne.” It rolled at least twice before coming to a rest in the northbound lane of traffic, he said.

Dugualla Bay Farms is a busy place this time of year due to its large u-pick pumpkin patch. Consequently, many people either witnessed or heard the accident, said Dillan Miller, a farm employee.

“Everyone saw it,” he said. “It was loud and clear.”

“She turned it up on two wheels just like in the movies,” said Matt Farnun, also a farm employee.

Miller and another unidentified woman immediately ran out to check on the driver, who he said seemed dazed but OK. According to Miller, the woman with him identified herself as a nurse, so he ran back to call 911.

Nichols confirmed that the driver appeared to have escaped injury but was transported to Whidbey General Hospital anyway as a precautionary measure.

The northbound lane was reopened to traffic at about 4:50 p.m.

Contact Whidbey News Times Staff reporter Justin Burnett at jburnett@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5054.

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