5 injured as wheels fly off van on Poulsbo-area highway

POULSBO, Wash. - Five people, including two kids, were injured Friday when the rear wheels of a van flew off on Highway 3, ejecting at least three of the passengers as the van rolled down an embankment.

Two of the victims - both children - were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with severe injuries. One was a 9-year-old boy with a fractured arm and unknown internal injuries.

One other child and two adults were rushed to Harrison Hospital in Bremerton with non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash occurred on Highway 3 near Thompson Road just before 12:30 p.m., a few miles south of the Hood Canal Bridge, said Trooper Krista Hedstrom of the Washington State Patrol.

The van was heading south when its rear wheels came off, sending the vehicle off the roadway. It rolled down an embankment into the northbound lanes.

Troopers said at least three people were ejected as the roof was sheared off the van from the force of the impact.

Two of the children were sitting on a bench-type seat that came unbolted and was ejected during the crash, Hedstrom said. Another child appears to have been seated in the front between both parents, and was also ejected.

Video from Air4 showed the gray van with a large quantity of debris scattered across the accident scene.

Hedstrom said the vehicle was a 1972 Ford van registered in Oregon that apparently had been converted into a camper. She said it appears camping gear and supplies were thrown free during the crash, creating the debris field.

Identities of the victims were not available.