Three Forks teens dead after car crashes into tree

Published 1:30 am Sunday, September 19, 2021

FORKS — Three young people are dead after a vehicle slammed into tree on Sitkum-Solduc Road outside of Forks early Saturday morning, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.

Two 18-year-old males — the driver and front passenger — were declared dead at the scene. A 17-year-old female died later at a Seattle-area hospital, and two others — both 19, a male and a female — were in that hospital in critical condition, said Sgt. John Hollis on Saturday.

Authorities will not release the names of the teens until all next-of-kin are notified, Hollis said. All lived in Forks.

The single-vehicle collision was at 4:19 a.m. on Mile 5 of the road, Hollis said. The road is known locally as A Road.

A preliminary report said that the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree.

Alcohol and vehicle speed are suspected to be factors in the collision, according to Hollis.

The case remained under investigation by the Clallam County Sheriff’s traffic investigation unit on Saturday.