A 43-year-old Oak Harbor man is recuperating at a Seattle hospital after being injured in a four-car accident on North Whidbey on the morning of April 4, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Marc A. Rogers was in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center as of Monday afternoon, according to the media relations spokesperson.
The Washington State Patrol reported that Rogers was driving a 2009 Chrysler Town & Country minivan south on Highway 20 and crossed the centerline near the intersection with Arnold Road. The vehicle struck an oncoming 2016 Honda CR-V driven by 66-year-old Margaret Riccio of Wakefield, Rhode Island.
Rogers’ vehicle continued traveling south in the northbound lane and struck an oncoming 2024 Mercedes Sprinter van head-on. The van was driven by 43-year-old Joshua Gillispie of Lacey, Washington.
A fourth vehicle, a northbound Kia Sorento driven by 66-year-old Lydia Bartholomew of Coupeville, struck Gillispie’s van, according to the State Patrol.
The crash was reported at 10:24 a.m. All the drivers were wearing seatbelts.
Rogers was seriously injured. A helicopter landed on the highway at the crash site and airlifted him to Harborview. Gillispie was also injured and transported to WhidbeyHealth Medical Center for treatment. Bartholomew was injured and evaluated at the scene by paramedics. Riccio was not injured, the State Patrol reported.
According to the accident memo, investigators don’t believe drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash. The cause of the accident was reported as “failure to maintain lane.”
The state Department of Transportation reported that the section of highway was closed during the response to the accident.