Car goes airborne, slams into building

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 7, 2026

A driver broke both his legs after his car became airborne, struck two buildings and crashed into a storage facility Friday afternoon in Oak Harbor.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, though Ray Merrill, deputy chief of North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, said investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the driver — believed to be in his 50s or 60s — suffered a medical emergency. No one else was injured. The driver was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center.

According to Merrill, the Subaru was traveling south on North Oak Harbor Road when it left the roadway, struck a barn next to the Hilberdink Farmhouse and became airborne. He estimated the vehicle traveled about 100 yards before crashing into a nearby storage building, where it came to rest partially inside the structure.

“I would guess he had to be (traveling) in excess of 60 miles an hour, easily,” Merrill said.

Firefighters used hydraulic rescue tools, commonly known as the jaws of life, to free the driver. Merrill said crews also removed one of the storage facility’s roll-up doors to reach the vehicle.

“About three-quarters of his car was actually through the exterior wall and into the building itself,” he said.

Merrill said Monday that he had not received an update on the driver’s condition.