UPDATED — 2:49 p.m. June 29, 2010
A 30-year-old man and his 26-year old wife were killed in a one-car rollover accident just after 6:45 a.m. June 29 at Interstate 90’s milepost 34, near North Bend.
Three other passengers in the car — the couple’s 4-year-old son, and two family friends from Spanaway, a 15-year-old man and a 22-year-old man — were taken to Harborview Medical Center by ambulance.
The Tacoma couple, Sean and Lindsey Mitchell, were returning westbound on Interstate 90 from a camping trip in Eastern Washington when Sean Mitchell fell asleep at the wheel, Washington State Patrol Trooper Christina Martin said.
Witnesses saw the 2005 Dodge Neon drift toward the left shoulder of the highway, crossing over roadway rumble strips, then hit the guardrail and a cement bridge railing without slowing down.
The collision ripped through the divers’ side of the vehicle, instantly killing Mitchell and his wife, who was sitting directly behind her husband in the left rear seat, according to Washington State Patrol troopers and Eastside Fire & Rescue personnel.
The Mitchells’ 4-year-old son, Cameron Mitchell, was in a booster seat in the right rear of the car.
“The Washington State Patrol is very happy to report that the 4-year-old was securely strapped into a booster sat, which is probably what saved him from serious injuries,” Martin said.
Austin Waage, the 15-year-old who was seat-belted in the center rear seat, received moderate to severe femur and internal injuries. Rick Rigney, the 22-year-old man sitting in the front passenger seat, received minor injuries.
Interstate 90 was temporarily closed at the scene of the crash, but Martin said traffic was not backed up because vehicles were getting off at exit 34 and then re-entering the interstate.
She advised drivers to get off the road if they are feeling fatigued.
“If you’re feeling tired, pull over, walk around, get a cup of coffee — do what you need to do to make sure you get home safely,” Martin said. “Don’t push yourself.”
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