Two injured in separate Whitman County crashes

The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the community that road safety is paramount, following two injury crashes this past weekend.

“Most of us here in the West like to drive, sometimes it’s for fun and other times it’s a necessity,” Sheriff Brett Myers said. “The truth of the matter is we’re all on these roads and we need to keep them safe by obeying the rules of the road.”

Deputies responded to a vehicle rollover crash on Dry Creek Road near Garfield on Saturday afternoon, according to police logs.

John Orfe, 23, of Garfield was headed westbound when he missed a curve and drove off the roadway, according to Myers. The vehicle went airborne over a barbed wire fence and into a pasture, where it rolled several times into a row of trees.

Myers said Orfe was taken by air ambulance to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. He added Orfe is in a serious, non-life-threatening condition.

Myers said deputies had reason to suspect Orfe was driving under the influence and was charged with a DUI. He added the crash is still under investigation.

Deputies responded to another injury crash on Colfax Airport Road near Colfax on Sunday evening, according to police logs.

Wyatt Hutson, 19, was driving westbound and veered off a bend in the road, Myers said. The vehicle flew into a nearby ditch and rolled over.

The tire skid marks left in the roadway indicate the vehicle was allegedly traveling at least 90 mph in a posted 50-mph zone, according to Myers.

Hutson was treated on scene by EMS. Myers said he was cited for reckless driving and that the collision is still under investigation.

Myers said both crashes are examples that show why it’s important to follow the rules of the road. He added driving under the influence or at excessive speeds puts people’s lives in danger, and collisions caused by poor decisions by the driver are 100% avoidable.

“You might get hurt, but at the same time the bigger consequence is if you hurt someone else,” Myers said. “We see these accidents and are glad other people weren’t injured, but had there been another vehicle it would have been a lot worse.”

He said driving under the influence or at excessive speeds reduces action time and makes it difficult to take evasive action when sometimes needed. He added drivers need to remember that other people are on the roads as well, and laws ensure safer streets for all.

“Those rules are in place not just to make our lives slower and mundane,” he said, “but because there’s been many people who have shown, and in many cases sadly lost their lives, what drugs, alcohol or excessive speeds can do on our roadways.”

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com