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CUSICK - A loose load on a rural road caused a car to veer into a pond Wednesday, Oct. 14 off Highway 211 near the 10500 block. Pend Oreille County Fire District No.
2 was dispatched to the scene at 2:24 p.m. According to District No. 2 Chief Chris Haynes, a vehicle rounding a corner struck a large hay bale that had fallen from an unsecured load on a truck ahead of it. The impact sent the car off the roadway and into a pond, where it came to rest in roughly waist-deep water. Both occupants were wearing seatbelts and the vehicle’s airbags deployed. The front end of the vehicle was heavily damaged.
“These two men did nothing wrong except come around a corner and encounter something that never should have been in the roadway,” Haynes wrote on the District’s Facebook page.
“They never saw the water coming.”
First-arriving units were on scene within minutes. One patient was able to self-extricate with assistance. The second was non-ambulatory and had to be carefully carried from the vehicle on a modified Stokes recovery system. Two ambulances transported both patients to Newport Hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Approximately 15 personnel were on scene, including five paramedics.
Units and command staff from Pend Oreille County Fire Protection District 2 / POC FIRE, the Kalispel Tribal Fire Department, including Assistant Chief Alan Thompson, and the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office led by Undersheriff Geoff Rusho, were on scene.
Washington State Patrol is handling the traffic collision investigation.
“What could have been a far more tragic outcome was prevented by speed, skill, and seamless partnership,” Haynes said.
“We are deeply grateful to our partners at the Kalispel Tribe and the Sheriff’s Office. When the clock is running and conditions are difficult, that kind of trust and coordination matters. Today it made the difference.”
