By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
An 89-year-old woman is in critical condition after a single-vehicle wreck on U.S. Highway 12 between Mayfield Lake and Mossyrock yesterday afternoon.
The Washington State Patrol reported a westbound 1986 Nissan pickup truck drove into a ditch on the right side of the road and rolled, coming to rest on its top.
May E. Buchanan, 89, and her daughter, Joyce M. Zelepuza, 69, both of Orting, were taken to the hospital with cuts and bruises, according to the state patrol. However, Buchanan this morning was in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Troopers and aid were called at 3 p.m. The truck was totaled, the rooftop was flattened but both woman were able to crawl out the windows, responders said.
The cause is under investigation, according to the state patrol.
About a half hour later, troopers were called to a different car that ran off the highway about six miles west of Packwood.
The investigating trooper blamed driver inattention when the eastbound Oldsmobile Cutlass drove off Highway 12 on the right and down an embankment before continuing parallel to the highway in the grass and driving back up to the gravel shoulder.
The car sustained an estimated $2,000 damage to its engine and undercarriage and had to be towed, according to the state patrol
Betty L. Kinnaman, 67, of College Place, escaped with just back pain, the patrol reported.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter