A 45-year-old Ocean City woman died Sunday evening after her SUV crossed into oncoming traffic and slammed head-on into a transit bus near Hogans Corner, just outside Ocean Shores, sending the bus into a ditch and leaving two people on board hospitalized. Washington State Patrol identified the driver as Misty D. Jones, who was behind the wheel of a 2002 Ford Expedition when the crash happened.
According to The Daily World, Jones was driving a silver Ford Expedition north on State Route 109 near State Route 115 when the vehicle crossed into the southbound lane and struck the transit bus. The crash happened at approximately 6:17 p.m. Sunday at Hogans Corner on SR 109 near milepost 17, according to Grays Harbor Transit. The Expedition came to rest in the middle of the highway, while the bus ended up in the southbound ditch.
Bus Driver and Passenger Hospitalized
Four people, including the driver, were aboard the bus at the time of the crash. Bus driver Kelsey Hackett and passenger Douglas Wyeth were injured and transported to Harbor Regional Health in Aberdeen, the same report notes. The other two passengers on board were uninjured, according to KIRO 7.
FOX 13 Seattle reported that troopers said Jones was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash and was declared dead at the scene. The bus driver was also wearing a seatbelt, per troopers. Post-crash images showed the bus lying on its side in the ditch near the roadway.
Highway Closed for Hours During Investigation
Both directions of State Route 109 near State Route 115 were fully blocked while crews investigated the scene and cleared the roadway, the same KIRO 7 report states. The highway reopened by about 3 a.m. the following morning, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Troopers said it remains unknown whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash, and the cause is still under investigation, the Daily World reported. No further details on what caused Jones's SUV to cross the centerline have been released.
The crash adds to a string of fatal wrecks across Grays Harbor County in recent months. A 71-year-old man from Taholah was killed in a separate crash in the county in March, according to The Daily Chronicle.
