EDITOR’S NOTE This has been corrected to say that one man and two girls were hurt and that all three were taken to Harborview Medical Center.
PORT TOWNSEND — Three people were airlifted to a Seattle hospital after a car smashed into a tree on Umatilla Avenue this afternoon (Thursday).
Bill Beezley, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman, declined to identify the people, citing privacy laws.
Shortly before 4 p.m., the driver of a Buick LeSabre heading east on Umatilla Avenue in Port Townsend lost control and ran into a tree, Beezley said.
Firefighters arrived to find a 12-year-old girl outside of the car, being comforted by passersby, Beezley said.
Two people were in the car. A man, 40, and his 11-year-old daughter were trapped in the front seats of the car.
They were extricated with the “jaws of life,” a hydraulic rescue tool with which fire fighters tore back the front doors to reach them, Beezley said.
The two in the car were immediately airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries, Beezley said.
The 12-year-old was first taken to Jefferson Healthcare hospital in Port Townsend for observation and was later airlifted to Harborview with chest injuries.
Beezley added that both front airbags were deployed.
Law enforcement officers are investigating the cause of the wreck, Beezley said.
