A Mazda 3 is demolished in a fatal head-on crash in Rochester
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A 22-year-old driver was killed when her car crossed the centerline and struck a Freightliner box truck head-on on U.S. Highway 12 in Rochester yesterday evening.
The Washington State Patrol reported that Ashley R. Davis-Jones, 22, of Tumwater, was eastbound when it happened, at about 5:15 p.m. Th crash occurred near Dallas Street, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Troopers found an open cell phone on the floorboard of her car and concluded the young woman had been texting in the moments before the collision, according to the state patrol.
The 65-year-old Rochester truck driver was reportedly uninjured.
The truck was hauling drums of iodine and bleach for use in dairy operations, according to Trooper Guy Gill. Responders from the state Department of Ecology were called to deal with a possible spill or leak.
Davis-Jones’ 2005 Mazda 3 was destroyed.
The highway was closed in both directions for hours, with a detour put in place.
Trooper Gill appealed to the public to consider the dangers of texting while driving.
“Collisions like this are completely preventable, and in a second can change the life of someone you know and love,” Gill wrote in a news release.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
It was only almost a year ago that i tried to save ashley after arriving first on the scene, i have not been right since this, it really affected me due to my accident, i couldn’t save her and i feel guilty, i was trained to save lives but failed, i am sorry ashley, but you are in good hands now, i will never forget your face, RIP and know that i did do what ever i could to save you…forgive me for not. February is coming up soon and it will be a hard day for all who knew and loved her and that day i will give a moment of silence at 5:15 in memory of her. Please share that day with me if you knew her.