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POSTED: Wednesday, May. 20, 2009

Woman injured, traffic detoured after car crash west of Deming

A 68-year-old woman was injured in a car crash west of Deming late Wednesday morning, May 20, and a stretch of Mount Baker Highway was closed for several hours while the Washington State Patrol investigated.

The crash occurred about 11:30 a.m. near the intersection with Hillard Road when a 17-year-old Bellingham girl's car rear-ended a car driven by Sandra McKinney of Glacier, said State Patrol Sgt. Tim Coley.

Coley said McKinney might have suffered a broken pelvis in the crash. Paramedics transported her to St. Joseph Hospital.

Trooper Keith Leary said a stretch of the highway near the crash scene remained closed until about 3:30 p.m.

McKinney was in the highway's westbound lane and was stopped while waiting for a driver ahead of her to turn left onto Hillard, Coley said.

The girl told the State Patrol she was distracted while adjusting the car radio, causing her vehicle to crash into McKinney's car, Coley said. The impact spun McKinney's car into the eastbound lane, where it was rear-ended by a FedEx van. The van's driver, identified as Duane Ausink, 55, of Maple Falls, suffered minor injuries to his arm.

The girl was uninjured, but her car ended up in a ditch on the north side of the highway, Coley said. Coley said the girl will be cited for causing the collision, but troopers were still investigating to determine the appropriate charge. The Bellingham Herald does not publish the names of minors charged as juveniles in crimes that don't involve significant injury or death.