By Matthew Fritsch
An Independence Day party nearly turned tragic for two Port Angeles residents when their pickup tumbled 550 feet down a hillside, ejecting them both.
The crash occurred just before 1 a.m. Thursday off Karpen Road, in the Dan Kelly area west of Lake Aldwell.
The driver, 32-year-old Leonard Latimer, was airlifted to Olympic Medical Center by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.
His passenger, 31-year old Talitha Chambers, managed to scramble to the top of the hill before being taken to the hospital.
Both were treated and released.
Details appear in the Friday/Saturday editions of the Peninsula Daily News, on sale throughout Clallam and Jefferson counties. Click on “Subscribe” to get your PDN delivered to your home or office.