1994 — Aug 21, SUV crosses center-line, hits sedan, Hwy Alt 97 near Wenatchee, WA– 11

—  11  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  FARS 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis.

—  11  The News, Frederick, MD. “11 dead in crash in Washington State.” 8-22-1994, p. 2.

—  11  Waterloo Courier, IA.  “Eleven die in fiery crash.” 8-23-1994, p. 2.

 

Narrative Information

 

Aug 22, AP: “Wenatchee, Wash. (AP) – A utility vehicle crossed a highway center line and slammed into a car packed with passengers, setting both vehicles on fire and killing all 11 people in them, authorities said.  Five children were among the victims of Sunday evening’s crash about two miles north of this central Washington city, the state patrol said

 

“A northbound Chevrolet Caprice sedan and a southbound Chevy Blazer crashed head-on in the northbound lanes, said patrol Lt. Bob Dale.  The fuel line on the Blazer apparently ruptured, and all the victims were severely burned in the ensuing fire, he said.

 

“Patrol Capt Thomas Robbins said there were no witnesses to the accident.  It wasn’t known how fast the vehicles were traveling.  A team of state patrol investigators from Bellevue was at the scene this morning.

 

“The victims in the car were the driver, his wife and their four children, ages 2 to 6, another woman and her child; and a fourth adult.

 

“The driver of the Blazer, Danny J. Adamson, 18, of Cashmere, died on arrival at Central Washington Hospital, as did one of the children in the car.  The other victims, including the lone passenger with Adamson, died at the scene.

 

“The weather was clear and dry at the time of the wreck on highway Alternate U.S. 97.”

(Assoc. Press. “11 dead in crash in Washington State.” The News, Frederick, MD, 8-22-1994, 2.)

 

Aug 23: “Wenatchee, Wash. — A Chevy Blazer crossed the center line of a highway and crashed into a sedan carrying a family returning from a vacation in Mexico, killing 11 people.  Five of the victims were children.  The collision ruptured the fuel line on the Blazer, spewing gasoline on both vehicles and incinerating the drivers and passengers, state police said.  No one survived the late Sunday night crash.

 

“Authorities did not know whether any of the victims were wearing seat belts. “They were all burned to death so you can’t tell. We couldn’t even tell whether they were male or female. It was really grisly,” said patrol Lt. Bob Dale.

 

“The Blazer was carrying two people; nine people, including five children ranging in age from 2 to 6, were in the four-door Chevy Caprice.”  (Waterloo Courier, IA.  “Eleven die in fiery crash.” 8-23-1994, 2.)

Sources

 

Associated Press. “11 dead in crash in Washington State.” The News, Frederick, MD. 8-22-1994, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/news/1994-08-22/page-2/

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Partial Data Dump of Crashes Involving 10 or More Fatalities, by Year, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1975-2009 Final and 2010 ARF. Washington, DC: NHTSA, pdf file provided to Wayne Blanchard, 1-26-2012.

 

Waterloo Courier, IA. “Eleven die in fiery crash.” 8-23-1994, p. 2. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/waterloo-courier/1994-08-23/page-2/