Traffic snarled, woman injured in separate crashes on Guide Meridian, Northwest Road

PETER JENSEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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A Ferndale woman was seriously injured and traffic was backed up on the Guide Meridian and Northwest Drive for several hours Tuesday, April 7 because of separate accidents.

The woman, 25, was hurt after she crashed her motorcycle into the back of a John Deere tractor while driving south on Northwest Drive at West Laurel Road about 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, said Sgt. Steve Gatterman of the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office.

The woman, whose name was not released, suffered serious injuries in the crash and was transported to St. Joseph Hospital, Gatterman said. Her injuries are not considered life threatening.

Gatterman said the tractor was turning left and towing a trailer when the woman crashed, but he was not sure if the tractor signaled before turning. Northwest Drive was reduced to one lane of traffic for about 45 minutes while medics and police dealt with the crash.

An hour earlier, a three-car crash blocked the southbound lane of Guide Meridian at Wiser Lake Road for several miles. No one suffered serious injuries, but some of the people involved were taken to the hospital as a precaution, said Trooper Brandon Lee of the Washington State Patrol.

Lee said the crash occurred when two cars slowed down but a third did not and rear-ended the car in front of it, creating a chain reaction.

Southbound and northbound traffic alternated through the one open lane Tuesday morning while police and medics tended to the crashes.