OLYMPIA, Wash. — A woman and a child were killed in a head-on collision caused by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 5 near Olympia on Friday night.
A 27-year-old driver in a Jeep was traveling the wrong way in a southbound lane of I-5 around 11:47 p.m. on Nov. 10, according to the Washington State Patrol (WSP).
The driver crashed head-on into a sedan, which was traveling the correct direction in the southbound lanes, WSP stated in an updated news release on Saturday. The sedan came to rest on a cement barrier.
Inside the sedan was a 31-year-old woman and two children ages 2 and 8. The woman died at the Olympia Airport and the 2-year-old boy died at the scene, according to WSP. The 8-year-old girl was critically injured and taken to a nearby hospital.
Thurston County Medical Examiners identified the woman, who was driving the sedan, as Samantha Denney of Chehalis.
The driver of the Jeep was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. He was not injured in the crash.
KING 5 does not typically name suspects until they are charged in court.
WSP states the cause of the crash is under investigation, but that drugs and/or alcohol are involved factors.