A 31-year-old Chehalis woman and a 2-year-old boy were killed in a head-on collision caused by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 5 in Thurston County Friday, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Samantha Denney, of Chehalis, was traveling south in the southbound lanes in a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu at about 10:47 p.m. when her vehicle collided with a northbound Jeep Wrangler driven by Draedon J. Jorgenson, 27, of Shelton, according to a news release from the Washington State Patrol.
The Jeep was traveling in the wrong direction. The initial report by the Washington State Patrol incorrectly stated the Malibu was traveling in the wrong direction.
Denney and a 2-year-old boy, who was a passenger in her vehicle, both died. Denney died at Olympia Airport, and the boy died at the scene, according to the state patrol. An 8-year-old girl who was also a passenger in Denney’s vehicle was transported to Mary Bridge Hospital. The boy and girl were not identified by the state patrol.
Jorgenson was not injured. According to the state patrol, he faces charges of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. Drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash, according to the state patrol.
The crash occurred in Tumwater near U.S. Highway 101.
A crowd-funding campaign has been launched for Denney’s family. The organizer identified the 2-year-old as Adonis Miller.
“Sam was a great person to be around, but if you wanted to see her shine her brightest, all you had to do was see her talk or be around her babies,” the organizer wrote. “Scarlett, Adonis and her unborn baby were her entire world. She was a great mother, and she loved her children unconditionally. Adonis was the brightest little 2-year-old you could have ever met. He was sassy, fun, and had a mean mug that could put a grown man in his place. He was definitely a character to be around. His life was cut incredibly too short. The things that we will miss getting to experience with him is limitless.”
The campaign had raised nearly $11,000 by Monday morning after an initial goal was set for $10,000.
Donate and learn more at https://www.gofundme.com/f/samantha-denney-and-her-2-year-old-adonis.
