Slick roads contribute to three east-county crashes

Three Monday morning crashes in east Clark County left one person hurt and served as a reminder for drivers to be careful when roads may be slick.

Kevin W. Kunkel, 44, of Camas was driving a 1988 Ford Ranger eastbound on state Highway 500 around 6 a.m. when he lost control on an icy patch, crossed the westbound lane and hit a telephone pole, a Washington State Patrol release said. The pole snapped in half, hanging over the westbound lane with lines dangling over the eastbound lanes, the release said. He was uninjured from the crash, said East County Fire & Rescue Chief Scott Koehler.

Police and Washington State Department of Transportation officials blocked the road in both directions near Northeast Everett Road, Koehler said.

The downed cable belongs to Frontier Communications, said Trooper Ryan Tanner, a state patrol spokesman.

Also Monday, a woman was left uninjured after her Subaru flipped on an icy patch of road north of Camas.

Crews from East County Fire & Rescue and the Vancouver Fire Department were called to a reported crash at Northeast Bradford Road and Northeast 270th Avenue just after 6:30 a.m. A passenger was reportedly trapped in the vehicle, Koehler said.

Firefighters noticed icy conditions on the way to the crash scene. When they arrived they found a vehicle on its top. The driver of the vehicle was helped out of the car by other drivers, Koehler said. The driver was not identified.

Firefighters directed traffic in the area and asked Public Works to put sand on the road, Koehler said.

“It’s an area that gets slick pretty easy due to its elevation,” he said.

About 7:10 a.m. Monday, Peggy R. Keith, 50, hometown unknown, was driving east on Highway 14 in a 1998 Chevrolet Blazer and rounding a gradual curve to the right in an area covered with black ice, the state patrol said.

The Blazer crossed the center lane into the westbound lane and overturned as it entered a drainage ditch and was found resting on its roof.

She suffered sore shoulders and neck, the WSP bulletin said. No ticket was issued. She was treated at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center and released Monday morning, a nursing supervisor said.