FERNDALE, Wash. — First responders were dispatched to the intersection of Slater Road and Ferndale Road due to a report of an injury crash about 11:30am today, Tuesday, January 18th.
Slater Road was closed between Imhof Road and LaBounty Drive. Ferndale Road was also closed to southbound traffic at Ulrich Road.
Approximate location of the crash
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Click for more informationInitial reports from the scene were to expect the road closure to be in place for about a couple hours.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Jacob Kennett told Whatcom News the crash occurred right after a funeral procession had finished passing through the intersection heading southbound on Ferndale Road and turning westbound onto Slater Road. A Lummi Nation Police officer who had been controlling traffic at the intersection while the procession passed was just returning to his vehicle when he saw a red 2005 Chevrolet Aveo southbound on Ferndale Road continue across Slater Road without stopping at the stop sign. A tanker truck and trailer eastbound on Slater Road t-boned the sedan on the passenger side.
The driver, identified as an 81-year-old Bellingham woman, was the only occupant of the Chevrolet and was declared dead at the scene. It was determined she had not been wearing her seat belt at the time of the crash.
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Click for more informationThe truck driver was not injured.
Kennett said it appeared the victim was not part of the funeral procession.
The speed limit on Slater Road at that intersection is 50mph.
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Click for more informationAs of 1pm, Kennett said they were halfway through their scene investigation which requires closing the road.
Slater and Ferndale Roads were both reopened to all traffic about 3pm.
This story was updated at 2:30pm with information from a WSP press memo regarding the incident.
