Two people died and two others were seriously injured Wednesday in a head-on collision with a gravel truck on U.S. 101 near Shelton.
The collision occurred at 7:33 a.m. near Wallace Kneeland Boulevard and involved three vehicles, said Trooper Katherine Weatherwax who tweeted about the incident. With the highway fully blocked, State Patrol recommended drivers use alternate routes.
The crash occurred when a driver in a Mazda crossed over center line and struck a gravel truck head on, spilling gravel over the roadway. A Toyota 4Runner also was struck on its driver side, Weatherwax said.
The driver of the Mazda was transported to a hospital with serious injuries, she said. A drug recognition expert evaluated the driver and arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence, she added.
Weatherwax said she did not yet have identifying details to share about the people involved in the crash. She also could not elaborate on which drivers or passengers were killed or injured.
More information on the crash and the people involved should be released later in the day, she said.
Troopers stopped traffic in both directions on U.S. 101 soon after the collision. The closure extended from about West Shelton Matlock Road to Wallace Kneeland Boulevard, according to the state Department of Transportation
Weatherwax said she expected the roadway to be blocked for several hours.
"They're going to have to get a detective on scene," Weatherwax said. "They're going to have check it and that's going to take a while. It's a pretty unfortunate scene. It was really bad this one.
