Lewis County Sirens.com

Responders at collision on U.S. Highway 12 in between Denmark and Huntington streets east of Rochester. / Courtesy photo by Val Davis

Updated at 12:37 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Four individuals from Rochester and Centralia were hospitalized last night after a two-vehicle collision on U.S. Highway 12 west of Grand Mound.

Troopers called about 8:40 p.m. to the scene near milepost 43 found both vehicles totaled, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The roadway in front of Briarwood Farms in between Denmark and Huntington streets was blocked for more than four hours during the investigation.

Samuel J. Canfield, 22, of Centralia, was traveling westbound and attempted to pass a westbound SUV when his Chevrolet pickup struck the SUV, according to the state patrol.

He and his passenger Brittny S. Canfield, 20, were transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to responders. It’s not clear if she had been seat-belted in, according to the investigating trooper.

The SUV involved was wheels down on the side of the highway but the pickup truck came to rest about 200 feet away on its top next to the railroad tracks, according to Riverside Fire Authority who were called to assist.

“They had to shut down the rail lines to take care of a patient next to the vehicle and another inside the vehicle,” Fire Capt. Casey McCarthy said.

Transported to Providence Centralia Hospital were the driver of the GMC Yukon, Heidi A. Antilla, 46, of Rochester, and her passenger Megan A. Antilla, 19, from Federal Way, according to the state patrol. By this morning, they had been treaded and released, a hospital spokesperson said.

The state patrol indicates drugs or alcohol were involved and they are investigating for possible charges of vehicular assault and driving under the influence. They blamed the collision on unsafe passing.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Two vehicles were left with significant damage after two separate incidents yesterday of motorists running into school busses.

No injuries were reported.

It was just before 1 p.m. when a bus carrying about 15 students was traveling eastbound at the 900 block of Byham Road in Winlock when a 61-year-old resident pulled out of a driveway and the two collided, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The Buick LaSabre sustained major damage to its left front corner and the bus’s right front portion,  just minor dents and scratches, according to the sheriff’s office.

“The kids said it felt like a bump,” Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

The car’s driver should expect to find an infraction in his mail for failure to yield, according to Brown.

At almost 4 p.m. in Chehalis, a car driven by a 25-year-old woman slammed into the back of a school bus on the 600 block of West Main Street.

“The school bus had stopped at the railroad tracks and the other driver didn’t see it,” Chehalis police Sgt. Gary Wilson said.

Responders said her car was totaled; there were no children on the bus.

WIlson noted that by law whether loaded or not, school busses come to a full stop at railroad tracks, turn on their flashing lights and look both ways before proceeding.

Kayla N. Voie was ticketed for driving with a suspended license, he said.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 69-year-old man was airlifted to a Seattle hospital this morning after he was struck by a large limb at a logging site in Salkum.

Firefighters were called just after 9 a.m. to residential property just north of the 2200 block of U.S. Highway 12 where they found the victim semi-conscious, according to Lewis County Fire District 8.

Fire Chief Duran McDaniel said they think the large dead piece of a maple tree was shaken loose from the vibrations of a piece of logging equipment passing by. Its operator got down, sawed the limb and got it removed from the man, McDaniel said.

The patient was picked up by a helicopter at Salkum’s main station and flown to Harborview Medical Center, McDaniel said.

A pair of 20 and 30 year old horses lost their home, hay in a fire yesterday afternoon near Tilley Road. / Courtesy photo by West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A barn fire north of Tenino yesterday resulted in the loss of a large amount of household property stored inside during a home renovation as well as a dozen baby chicks.

Crews called about 1:30 p.m. to the scene near Tilley Road and 140th Avenue Southwest found the building fully engulfed in flames and threatening a line of trees, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

The fire was reported by a neighbor who saw smoke, called 911 and alerted the homeowner, according to Lt. Lanette Dyer.

Dyer said the approximately 1600-square-foot barn normally housed two horses, the chicks and animal feed. The owners had only recently moved in and many of their belongings were still stored there following a remodel, she said in a news release.

“The neighbor and owner then began working to clear animals from the immediate area,” Dyer said. “Entry into the barn, to get the baby chickens were hindered by intense smoke and flames and the owner was unable to gain entry.”

The building and its contents were destroyed, she stated.

Approximately 25 firefighters from five departments battled the blaze; nobody was injured and its cause remains under investigation.