5 more injured as another car hits fallen tree on Hwy. 2
STEVENS PASS, Wash. - Five people were injured Saturday when their car slammed into a fallen tree as they were traveling over Stevens Pass on Highway 2.
It was the second serious accident caused by a tree falling over the highway due to heavy snow in the pass. On Friday, a Bothell couple was killed and their four adult children were injured when a tree came down on their SUV.
In the most recent incident, a 2005 Audi slammed into a newly fallen tree at about 5:50 p.m. Saturday as the car was heading west on Highway 2, about 22 miles west of Leavenworth, the Washington State Patrol reported.
All five people inside the vehicle were injured, some of them seriously.
The driver, a 37-year Seattle man, was taken to Cascade Hospital, along with two of the passengers, a 13-year-old boy and a 25-year-old woman, both from Seattle.
The two other passengers, a 30-year-old Seattle woman and a 16-year-old Seattle girl, were taken to Central Washington Hospital.
Highway 2 was closed after the accident and remains closed over Stevens Pass due to the dangerous conditions and fallen trees over the roadway. There was no estimate for when the highway would reopen.
It was the second serious accident caused by a tree falling over the highway due to heavy snow in the pass. On Friday, a Bothell couple was killed and their four adult children were injured when a tree came down on their SUV.
In the most recent incident, a 2005 Audi slammed into a newly fallen tree at about 5:50 p.m. Saturday as the car was heading west on Highway 2, about 22 miles west of Leavenworth, the Washington State Patrol reported.
All five people inside the vehicle were injured, some of them seriously.
The driver, a 37-year Seattle man, was taken to Cascade Hospital, along with two of the passengers, a 13-year-old boy and a 25-year-old woman, both from Seattle.
The two other passengers, a 30-year-old Seattle woman and a 16-year-old Seattle girl, were taken to Central Washington Hospital.
Highway 2 was closed after the accident and remains closed over Stevens Pass due to the dangerous conditions and fallen trees over the roadway. There was no estimate for when the highway would reopen.
If you drive really fast it's harder for the trees to get you.
Glad they closed the pass again. Stevens has always been more dangerous than Snoqualmie it seems with it's smaller highway and steeper terrain. Hopefully they'll be able to make some further study and have better luck identifying dangerous trees and taking them down before they hurt someone. Now....  For the people making jokes about banning trees. Look I'm as pro second amendment as anyone. And I understand the allure to make comparisons to people wanting to ban inanimate objects after a rare tragedy that costs multiple lives, when it's never considered for other tragedies with inanimate objects (be they trees, cars, alcohol, baseball bats, fists, or swimming pools) but please. Stop. Even though it feels good, the sarcasm and thread jacking don't help. Stay classy by staying on topic, memorizing solid verifiable facts and responding in a calm and non-emotional manner when you debate in relevant threads.  Cheers!
Sounds like we need to ban trees.
ZING!!! LOL LOL LOL REALLY FUNNY STUFF except that several others made that hilarious joke already....
Maybe we need to just keep it closed altogether for the season. At this point if I had to use it to get somewhere I'd drive around anyway simply because I value my life and my family's.
Okay people. These pointless sarcastic "gun" control related posts are not funny and amusing anymore. They're getting to be repetitive and stupid! How about for once we stay on topic? At least no one's blaming this on the "highway of death."
 @Zoso good call - these nitwits are everywhere with this crap, no matter what the article is about.
 @Zoso No more stupid than your incessant "highway of death" mantra. The road didn't kill these people. It is not like the road selectively chose its target, took aim, and fired trees are this family.Â
 @Rider Try rereading my comment with a little more reading conprehension if you can.
a tree is a natural thing a gun is not
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you nra people are so stupid it's laughable.
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You continue to make yourself look more foolish by the minute.
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Bet you supported Romney hahaha
 @sunnysandiego Visit relatives in Seattle for Christmas and spend all your time insulting people on this forum. I bet they will be happy to see you leave.
 @al_wa I got a pretty f'd up family here that's why I live in San Diego.
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So many people here are so miserable.
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Honestly it's like black and white the contrast. Â Cannot wait to get back!!
 @Vinnie  @sunnysandiego  @al_wa ouch that hurt.
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just kidding
@sunnysandiego @al_wa Lol, they are miserable because you are here. Do us a favor and go home.
We must demand tree control laws now now now I tell you. Until those nasty trees are brought under strict government control they will continue to seek out and kill people.
 @Rider well that didn't take long.
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You are a very bright one obviously.
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Did you come up with that all by yourself or did your mother's help you with it
 @sunnysandiego It was sarcastic. Being you are indicating you are fro California perhaps we should use single syllable words to dumb down the comments to your limited comprehension.
 @Rider Yes you are so correct.
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Washington state is so advanced and ahead of the curve.
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but good one on the op. Â That was some funny stuff.
 @sunnysandiego  @Rider I wonder why so many here are so uptight, cranky and downright rude?
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In San Diego people are much happier and treat each other with significantly more respect
This is getting ridiculous. Â We need Tree Control
Why all the sudden, do we have trees falling onto autos? I've learned from the left just how to figure this out though; a 5-day waiting period on trees. This is sooooooo easy. Yes, I can spell trivialize
ZING!!!! HA HA HA! REALLY FUNNY!! GREAT STUFF!!
They are very fortunate! Lots to celebrate this holiday for this family.
In 2006 during a nasty snow/ice/wind storm, power lines had come down on my house. I was told to evacuate so I put my kids in the car and headed for my mom's house in Spanaway. It was pitch black and windy and there was a vehicle in front of me so I stuck close to them, following its tail lights. All the sudden the car swerved to miss a fallen tree on the left but didn't see the tree on the right coming down. I slammed on my brakes while I watched the tree crush the vehicle, instantly killing one of the people inside.
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To this day I am still scared of the wind because of what I witnessed that night. Every time I see or read a report about a tree that has fallen on a vehicle and taken a life, it brings back horrible memories. My heart goes out to the people whose had to watch their parents die right before their eyes and I hope the others make a speedy recovery.
 @Tattooed_Angel Living in this midst of this beautiful part of the country comes with certain risks. I guess it's up to each of us to decide whether we think the risk is worth it. For me personally I would rather live here and take my chances with the trees, the wildlife, the mudslides, and the earthquakes than live in some nondescript concrete jungle.
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I am very sorry you had to witness such a random tragedy; no doubt that is the kind of memory that never goes away. Also my sincere sympathies to the family and friends of those killed in the recent accidents.
WTH- Do we need to post signs alongside the caution-falling rocks, warning avalanche area, to include warning- random falling trees?
That just plain sucks whatâs happened to these families.
I suppose when I go through there I will have to warn everyone and be on the defensive with these big guys
Condolences to all and God bless
Awful. My heart goes out to the families.
The DOT should be mandated to clear trees near highways so that they can NOT fall on the roadway. I actually had heard that that is the policy for Interstates but I have seen trees on the side of Interstates that can fall on the roadway.Â
 @scared_citizen Ever actually driven over a road?  Seriously?
@scared_citizen How about we just cut down all the trees.  Might as well, here you are calling for trees along highways be cut done, I've heard some people saying all large trees in neighborhoods be cut down.  Then we can change the state's motto from the Evergreen State to the Stripped State or how about the Denuded State.
Nine injured and two dead as snow laden trees attack motorists. Why aren't trees and snow being put on the political chopping block like our 2nd Ammendment constitutional rights are?
 @Magic 8 Ball HOOOO-BOY, YOU GUYS HAVE THE MOST AWESOME GUN CONTROL JOKES!!! HA HA HA HA LOL!!!!
@Magic 8 Ball
Huh? I donât believe second amendment is going anywhere.So maybe we can shoot them down.
 @Magic 8 BallÂ
The trees to be more specific. one cant be to careful
 @Magic 8 Ball good job bringing up something not even remotely related to the article. Perhaps you can work Obamacare and the Monroe Doctrine into this article next??
Terrible tragedies. Â Every Christmas I am amazed by the insistence people have on traveling the dangerous roads, regardless of the conditions. Every year you have 9 hour back ups on the passes, fatal crashes, trees and avalanches coming down, and yet people continue to head up there. Â You do so at your own risk.Â
 @DT Getting together with family and friends is especially important this time of year. Not to mention the breathtaking beauty along the way. I have no trouble understanding why people go. If you are prepared, have a suitable vehicle, and an experienced driver it's really not all that dangerous. Considering the number of cars who travel across the pass on a regular basis these last few accidents are a rarity. As far as I am concerned WDOT does a great job of keeping the passes clear and reacting immediately to shut them down when it's not.
 @Petwlkr  @DT Merry Christmas, great post.
@Petwlkr Thank you - on a side note it is Shiba : )
They are not stubborn just incredibly smart. They just need good training. A good anology is take a dog, a cat and a human and you have a Shiba. They are a blast - we have two.
 @Anita Johnson On a side note; your Sheba is gorgeous!! That breed is known for being exceptionally stubborn; is yours?  Â
@Petwlkr @al_wa @DT I whole heardtly agree! The tragedy that enfolded over the last couple of days to our fellow neighbors and human beings should not become an "agenda" item for others. Please have sympathy for their loved ones. Your insensitivity to this, especially this time of year is disheartening. I am starting to lose faith in my fellow Washingtonians
 @al_wa  @DT and a very Merry Christmas to you as well. :-)