The driver of a northbound vehicle lost control on an icy State Route 195 Thursday and collided with two cars headed southbound in a crash that sent four people to the hospital, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The crash, reported at 5:15 p.m., closed the highway for several hours. The extent of the injuries is not known.
According to police, Maria Sileoni, 54, of Pullman, was headed northbound about 10 miles south of Pullman near Johnson when her car entered the southbound lane where it was struck on the passenger side by a car driven by Jeffrey Tietjen, 57, of Colton. After spinning, Sileoni's vehicle was struck by a third car, driven by Lacey Fitzpatrick, 32, of Rathdrum, which was also headed southbound.
Sileoni's vehicle came to rest in the southbound lane, Tietjen's vehicle stopped in the ditch on the southbound shoulder while Fitzpatrick's vehicle came to rest on the fog line of the southbound lane, according to WSP.
Injured in the crash were Sileoni, who was transported to Pullman Regional Hospital, her passenger, Raul Espinoza, 52, of Pullman, who was transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, and the two passengers in the Tietjen vehicle, Mary Tietjen, 55, of Colton, to PRH, and Rachel Tietjen, 30, also of Colton, to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Lewiston. Jeffrey Tietjen, Fitzpatrick, and a 2-year-old passenger in the Fitzpatrick vehicle were not injured in the crash, according to WSP.
All involved in the incident were wearing seatbelts, and no charges have been filed pending an investigation, according to WSP.
Clarification: The WSP confirms four were hospitalized following the crash. An earlier version of this story indicated an incorrect number.
