Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Lt. Laura Hanson of Lewis County Fire District 5 is hoping area residents can be encouraged to enjoy public fireworks displays tonight.

But if not and you light off your own fireworks, Hanson says, please:

• Keep water handy
• Don’t relight “duds”. Let fireworks cool then soak in water
• An adult should light all fireworks
• Keep matches and lighters away from children
• Keep pets indoors
• Fireworks should only be used outdoors and lit only one at a time
• If you purchase fireworks, please do so from licensed vendors
• Store fireworks out of reach of children

Last year, mostly on the Fourth of July, there were more than 1,000 fireworks-related fires and 200 injuries reported to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

The property loss added up to more than $5.6 million across the state, according to the state fire marshal.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Tumwater man broke his ankle when he crashed his motorcycle this morning on state Route 508 about 11 miles west of Morton, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Troopers called about 10:15 a.m. reported that Rex A. Kellso, 58, was eastbound when he encountered bumps in the road at a curve, lost control and struck a guard rail.

His 2009 Harley-Davidson was described as totaled and he was taken to Morton General Hospital, according to the state patrol.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Troopers were called yesterday afternoon to a rear-end chain reaction collision on northbound Interstate 5 at Centralia involving four passenger vehicles which sent four individuals to the hospital.

Centralia police and firefighters joined the Washington State Patrol after the 4:15 p.m. call to the area near the Harrison Avenue interchange.

It began when a 62-year-old driver from Kelso in a Dodge Intrepid failed to slow for traffic and struck the rear of a Hyundai Tucson, according to the state patrol. Christine J. Price, 62, was expected to be cited for having no insurance and speed too fast for conditions, according to the  investigating trooper.

Three of the vehicles had to be towed off the freeway; the Intrepid and Tucson were described as totaled.

Three drivers and one passenger were taken to Providence Centralia Hospital with injuries described as abrasions, neck, back or chest pain and Price sustained a knee injury, according to the state patrol.

Among the injured were also drivers Melodye B. Petterson, 65, of Camas and Tonya K. Fowler, 37, of Castle Rock, as well as Price’s passenger, David G. Newton, 62, of Longview.

A 48-year-old Redmond resident driving a 1998 Dodge Caravan involved, was reportedly not injured.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A trooper’s patrol car was totaled today when he pulled onto Centralia-Alpha Road and ran into a dump truck.

Trooper Robert Moore was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital with a sore neck and back after the approximately 2 p.m. collision, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Moore has already been released from the hospital, according to state patrol Sgt. Jeff Speer.

“He’s ok, shaken up a little bit,” Speer said this evening.

Moore, 36, was eastbound on Coal Creek Road  about four miles east of Chehalis, stopped at a stop sign and then made a left turn onto Centralia-Alpha Road, according to the state patrol. He struck a 1993 Kenworth dump truck which was traveling north on Centralia-Alpha Road.

The dump truck had the right-of-way, Speer said.

Its driver, Theadore Shannon, 67, of Centralia, was reportedly uninjured.

The 2008 Ford Crown Victoria hit the truck in the truck’s left side, the patrol reported. The truck sustained an estimated $3,000 damage and was able to be driven from the scene, according to the state patrol.

“It’s unfortunate, these things do happen,” Speer said. “They do happen, and we deal with it.”

Both men were wearing seat belts. The collision remains under investigation.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Winlock man is in satisfactory condition this morning after a motorcycle wreck yesterday on a logging road in the Winlock area.

Morris A. Wideman, 46, was thrown from his motorbike into a ditch and sustained what the sheriff’s office described as severe injuries.

Aid and deputies were called about 1 p.m. to the crash which happened along the 3000 line off the end of Jones Road, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Wideman and his younger brother were out riding together, the sheriff’s office reported.

It happened about a mile beyond a locked gate, which slowed Winlock firefighters in getting to him, according to Lewis County Fire District 15 Lt. Kevin Anderson. They cut it with a saw, which took at least a half hour, he said.

“Fighting through the locked gate was the hardest part of the whole thing,” Anderson said this morning.

Anderson said he believed the injured man had been wearing a helmet and that he was riding an old 1970s-looking trail bike.

With help from medics from South County EMS, Wideman was airlifted from Winlock’s elementary school to Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, Wash.