On Sunday evening, a head-on crash on U.S. 101 near Palo Alto Road in Clallam County left one person dead and two others seriously injured, shutting the highway for hours and forcing traffic onto nearby rural roads. The highway fully reopened just before 3 a.m. after emergency crews and Washington State Patrol cleared the scene.
The collision happened around 7:30 p.m. when a westbound Chevy Silverado crossed the center line and struck an FJ Cruiser. The FJ Cruiser’s driver was airlifted with serious injuries, her passenger died at the scene, and the Silverado driver was hospitalized, with authorities investigating the crash as possible vehicular homicide and assault, according to KIRO 7.
This particular stretch of U.S. 101 around Palo Alto Road has already been flagged by state planners. The East Sequim pre-design study examined options such as a frontage road and roundabouts to cut down on center-line conflicts and serious collisions, according to WSDOT. Local reporting has laid out two main alternatives for the corridor: a ramp-and-roundabout concept and a frontage-road option, with both aimed at reducing high-speed, two-lane crashes on this busy section of highway, Peninsula Daily News reported. The proposals have sparked debate among residents and officials over project costs and construction impacts.
Investigation And Potential Charges
Washington State Patrol detectives and prosecutors will review the collision evidence and toxicology results before deciding whether to file charges. Under state law, vehicular homicide (RCW 46.61.520) is a Class A felony, and vehicular assault (RCW 46.61.522) is a Class B felony. Prosecutors typically wait for lab results before pursuing these kinds of cases, and convictions can bring prison time and trigger driver license revocation under state code.
State troopers are asking anyone who saw the crash or who has video from the area to contact the Washington State Patrol’s investigative unit, with more updates expected once testing is complete, according to KIRO 7. The collision underscores the safety challenges that continue to plague two-lane sections of U.S. 101 on the Olympic Peninsula as officials weigh longer-term fixes.
