Freak Accident Kills Elderly Woman Near Monroe

MONROE - An elderly woman is dead and 7 people are hurt following a freak accident near Monroe.

The crash happened on Highway 522 around 7 o'clock Saturday evening.

The State Patrol says a Jeep Cherokee was heading west when a deer darted out onto the road. The driver swerved to avoid the animal, but slammed into an oncoming Ford and killing a 79-year-old woman inside the Ford.

Investigators say there was nothing either driver could do to avoid the collision.

"Something jumps out in front of you, you react to it pretty quickly," said Trooper Keith Leary. "Had that deer not jumped out in front of them, we would have never had this collision."

Seven people in all were hospitalized, including two who were airlifted to Harborview in critical condition.