Northbound I-5 near milepost 75 / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Fire District 6
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A Centralia driver was critically injured when an errant tire smashed his windshield as he was traveling on Interstate 5 just south of Chehalis yesterday afternoon.
Troopers and aid called just after 4:35 p.m. found the Kia Sorento about 150 feet off the side of the northbound lanes, in a swampy area, according to responders.
Valdemar Sebastian, 51, of Centralia, was transported to the Chehalis Airport and flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to Lewis County Fire District 6.
His passenger sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to District spokesperson DJ Hammer. Analorena Jimenez Morales, 46, also of Centralia, was treated and has been transferred, a hospital spokesperson said this morning.
Sebastian had been heading northbound when a tire and wheel came off a southbound 1995 Ford Escort, bounced over the median and hit his car, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The 26-year-old Lacey man, Joseph A. Miranda, behind the wheel of the Escort, was uninjured, according to the state patrol.
The incident is under investigation by the state patrol.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter