CARLSBORG — A young Sequim man seeking a master’s in computer arts died early Tuesday morning in a head-on collision with a woman the State Patrol says was driving while intoxicated.
Benjamin Michael Merscher, 25, of Sequim was killed at about 1 a.m. in a wreck that blocked both lanes of U.S. Highway 101 west of Kitchen-Dick Road until 7:22 a.m., the State Patrol and state Department of Transportation said.
Engre Louise Brown, 27, also of Sequim, suffered a broken leg and internal injuries.
She was in stable but serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Tuesday.
After she recovers, Brown will be booked into the Clallam County jail for investigation of vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of a controlled substance, said State Patrol Trooper Krista Hedstrom.
Hedstrom said that Brown was driving westbound in a 2001 Volkswagen Golf when she crossed into the oncoming lane and hit Merscher, who was driving a 1998 Honda Civic.
The wreck blocked both lanes of the highway, said Kelly Stowe, state Department of Transportation spokesperson.
Traffic was rerouted onto Old Olympic Highway via Carlsborg Road, she said.
