SHINE — One person died and two others were flown to a Seattle hospital after a two-car collision at the midspan of the Hood Canal Bridge, the State Patrol reported.
Edalina Jeronimo Lopez, 28, of Bremerton was driving eastbound on state Highway 104 in a 2006 Toyota Tacoma pickup about 5:03 p.m. Thursday when she crossed the center line and collided with an oncoming vehicle, the State Patrol said.
Lopez’s passenger, a 39-year-old man from Allyn, died at the scene. His name was being withheld pending next of kin notification, the State Patrol said.
The westbound vehicle, a 2015 Mercedes-Benz, was driven by Wesley Nielson, 83, of Port Ludlow, the State Patrol said.
Trooper Katherine Weatherwax posted on the social media site X that Lopez was attempting to make a U-turn on the bridge and it was a T-bone collision.
Both vehicles came to rest fully blocking the bridge, which was closed for five hours, according to news reports.
Lopez and Nielson both were flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, the State Patrol said. Nielson was in satisfactory condition on Friday, hospital spokesperson Brian Donohue said.
No information was available for Lopez, Donohue added.
The cause of the crash was pending an investigation, and it was unknown whether drugs or alcohol were involved, the State Patrol said.
Lopez was wearing a seat belt, but the 39-year-old man from Allyn was not wearing one, the State Patrol said. It was unknown whether Nielson was wearing a seat belt, the agency added.
Both vehicles were totally destroyed and towed from the scene, the State Patrol said.
