Trees keep SUV from sliding into river following collision

A wreck Saturday afternoon on Northeast Lucia Falls Road nearly resulted in an SUV sliding into the East Fork of the Lewis River.

Two women were traveling at about 1 p.m. in the SUV, which collided with another car, slid down a slope and was stopped by a ledge of trees just short of the water.

“They were very fortunate,” said Scott Sorenson of Clark County Fire District 3. “It went over in just the right place.”

Annie M. Ek, 20, of Battle Ground was driving the SUV. Janine M. Bell, 22, of Yacolt was her passenger. After the vehicle came to a stop, the two women climbed out of the vehicle and 30 feet back up the slope. They declined medical treatment, Sorenson said.

Patrick W. Knowles, 55, also of Yacolt, was driving the other vehicle. He was cited for changing lanes without signaling. Ek was ticketed for unsafe passing, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Another crash on Lucia Falls Road occurred at about 2 a.m., when a car rolled and landed above the East Fork of the Lewis River. No injuries were reported.