DISCOVERY BAY — Two Jefferson County residents were in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle late Thursday afternoon after a head-on collision on state Highway 20 east of U.S. Highway 101 early that morning.
Paul Scott Spurgeon, 68, of Port Townsend and Kristen Rose Hirschel, 29, of Port Hadlock were airlifted to Harborview following the approximately 5 a.m. crash on the curvy two-lane road, said Trooper Russ Winger, State Patrol spokesman.
Hirschel was listed in critical condition while Spurgeon was in serious condition, according to a Harborview spokeswoman.
“They were significant and critical-type injuries,” Winger said.
Highway 20 was closed for about six hours, according to the State Patrol.
Bruce Edward Curfman, 32, of Port Townsend, driving a 2009 Jeep Patriot, also was involved in the crash.
Winger said Curfman was transported to Jefferson Healthcare hospital in Port Townsend but did not appear to be critically injured. A Jefferson Healthcare official would not comment.
The wreck was caused by driver inattention, the State Patrol said, saying Hirschel had fallen asleep. The State Patrol is recommending a charge of second-degree negligent driving.
No passengers were involved, said Bill Beezley, spokesman for East Jefferson Fire Rescue.
“The [wreck] involved a high-speed, driver-to-driver head-on collision,” he said in a prepared statement.
The 9-1-1 call notifying authorities of the collision was at 4:56 a.m. Thursday, he said.
Hirschel was driving a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica eastbound on Highway 20 when she went over the center line and struck Spurgeon’s 2015 Ford work van head-on, Winger said.
Curfman’s Jeep, which was westbound behind Spurgeon’s van, “failed to reduce speed” hit the driver’s side of the van, the State Patrol said.
Beezley said the driver was walking around afterward, apparently not seriously injured.
Beezley said both drivers of the first two vehicles required extrication from their vehicles.
“Both drivers suffered multi-system trauma, including numerous lower extremity fractures and probably internal injuries and are considered to be in critical condition,” Beezley said.
Due to weather-related poor visibility, the two were transported by ambulance to the Bremerton National Airport and then by Airlift Northwest helicopters to Harborview, Beezley said.
Winger said there was no indication that Hirschel or Spurgeon were speeding or that drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash.
Also Thursday was a two-car wreck at Milepost 10 on state Highway 19 near Old Nip Lee Road.
No injuries were reported from the 11:20 a.m. crash, which shut down one lane of traffic, Winger said.
He said property was damaged and both vehicles had to be towed away.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
