A head-on collision early Thursday afternoon on State Highway 525 south of Coupeville near Admiral’s Cove left one driver dead, two critically injured and blocked traffic in both directions on Whidbey Island’s main arterial for more than two hours.

Ansara Miller, 20, of Clinton, died as a result of her injuries. She was traveling northbound shortly after noon when the Toyota Camry she was driving crossed the center line and struck a Lexus driven by Carl Pennington, 77, with his wife Soonie Pennington, 90, in the passenger seat, according to Mark Francis, public information officer with the Washington State Patrol.

The Penningtons, from Oak Harbor, both were transported to hospitals with critical injuries. Carl Pennington was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

An investigation by the State Patrol lasted more than two hours, leaving cars backed up for miles, with both lanes of traffic re-opening at about 2:30 p.m.

“There were drugs found at the scene,” Francis said. “They will be in the investigation as far as a factor in the cause.”

Linda Kendrick, a longtime medical professional, was driving southbound on State Highway 525 when she approached the scene of the accident, got out of her car and tried to help before emergency units had arrived.

She said she first rushed over to Miller, recognizing she had critical injuries, but couldn’t get to her because of the crumpled car.

When she went over to the Penningtons, Kendrick said she saw that they were seriously injured but they were conscious and talking and not alone.

“There was a little white dog between them cradled in Carl’s arms,” Kendrick said.

As they waited for emergency personnel, Kendrick said she asked the couple questions to keep them alert and the three prayed together.

“Mostly, I was just trying to keep them calm and relaxed,” Kendrick said.

“They said they were headed down to Clinton to go crabbing. They said they didn’t know where the car came from, that it came out of nowhere.”

The dog, a white poodle named Skippy, was covered in blood, Kendrick said. The dog was picked up by Carol Barnes of Whidbey Island Animal Control and taken to Penn Cove Veterinary Clinic in Coupeville, where it was treated for lacerations and a concussion and was resting.

The accident was the second on the island’s main thoroughfare south of Coupeville involving a fatality in three days. On Tuesday, Charles E. Carlson of Seattle died in a single-car accident on State Highway 20 south of the Naval Outlying Field.

Thursday’s accident happened just south of Aloha Place on State Highway 525, between Admirals Drive and Houston Road.

It was at a stretch of the highway where there are no alternate routes to allow drivers to continue north or south.

Island Transit’s Route 1 bus, which goes from the Clinton ferry to the Harbor Station in Oak Harbor, was stranded at the accident scene for more than two hours.

Some passengers were given rides to catch another bus in Coupeville, driver Sandi Fox said.

Fox said the stretch between Admiral’s Cove and North Bluff Road is the only major section of the highway that she’s aware of where there are no others routes to pass through should the need arise.

“It’s the one place where there are no detours,” she said.

Charlie Smith, deputy fire chief with Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue, said that caused another problem as emergency units couldn’t respond to other calls that came in during the time the highway was blocked.

Smith praised South Whidbey Fire, North Whidbey Fire and Rescue and Whidbey General Hospital EMS for their efforts in assisting with calls and other help that was provided during the highway closure.

Smith said some of the people waiting in traffic needed assistance.

“Everybody was going in every direction,” Smith said.

Upon arriving on the scene, Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue had to extricate Miller from her vehicle.

David Alvarado also was stuck in traffic and stood outside near the scene for more than two hours. A delivery driver for O’Reilly Auto Parts, he said he makes the drive from North to South Whidbey about three times per day and sees a lot of drivers cross over the center line.

“It’s bad,” he said.

“I’ve seen people fall asleep at the wheel all the time. I’ll be sitting there banging on the horn.”

He figured he might be done for the day.

“By the time I get back, it might be time to go home,” Alvarado said. “I’ll be saying a few prayers for these folks.”