The Washington State Patrol has identified two people who died Wednesday in a three-vehicle crash on U.S. 101 near Shelton.
Duane Wharton, a 58-year-old Olympia man, and Rita Lyman, a 66-year-old Shelton woman, both died at the scene of the collision at milepost 346 on U.S. 101, according to State Patrol. The wreck involved two other people and prompted investigators to completely close a span of the highway for more than six hours.
The collision occurred at 7:33 a.m. when a Mazda traveling south crossed the centerline and struck the driver’s side of a northbound gravel truck driven by Wharton, according to a State Patrol press memo. The truck then rotated counter-clockwise, tipped onto its passenger side and collided with a Toyota 4Runner driven by Lyman in the southbound lane.
Medical aid transported the driver of the Mazda, a 66-year-old Shelton man, to Mason General Hospital, the memo says.
A drug recognition expert evaluated the driver and arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence, Trooper Katherine Weatherwax previously told The Olympian. The memo says drugs or alcohol were involved and charges were pending.
A 69-year-old Shelton woman who was a passenger in the Mazda was not injured, according to the memo. This woman reportedly wore a seatbelt while the driver did not.
Wharton was wearing his seatbelt in the gravel truck, according to the WSP. But it’s unclear if Lyman wore a seatbelt in the Toyota 4Runner.
All three vehicles were totaled in the collision, according to the memo.
