Two serious car crashes and a handful of smaller ones Friday afternoon sent two people to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and closed a section State Route 305.
“The stars weren’t aligned correctly today,” said Bainbridge Island Police Deputy Chief Mark Duncan.
The first serious crash was reported at 1:38 p.m., when a woman riding a bicycle north on the highway near NE Lovgreen Road was struck by a van.
The woman was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with life-threatening injuries
That wreck shut down the highway for about two-and-a-half hours.
The next serious collision occurred near the intersection of NE Koura Road and Miller Road NE at about 2:50 p.m. A driver of one of the vehicles involved was also flown to Harborview with life-threatening injuries.
Both were listed in “serious but stable” condition, Bainbridge Island Police Lt. Chris Jensen said.
The investigation into the crash on Highway 305 required the road be closed between NE Day Road and Sportsman Club Road NE.
Traffic was detoured onto secondary roads, however, those routes were often brought to a standstill by about four non-reportable collisions, Jensen said.
A mix of unfamiliar roads and frustration may have played a part in the high number of fender-benders, none of which resulted in injury or significant damage.
However, after the less-serious collisions, the cars stayed where they were and police were required to investigate to ensure there were no injuries, which further aggravated the traffic situation.
Jensen said more information on the injured was not immediately available.
