Woman rolls car on North Hamilton
A woman in her 50s rolled her black Honda Civic on Thursday after witnesses said she wouldn’t allow another driver to switch lanes, police said.
Spokane police Sgt. Joe Walker said two cars were northbound on Hamilton Street approaching Nora Avenue at 4:12 p.m. when the car in the left lane attempted to turn into the right lane.
“According to witnesses, there was enough room but this vehicle accelerated,” Walker said of the Civic.
The Civic driver then drove up on the curb, rolled and ended upside-down with the driver temporarily trapped inside, Walker said.
Fire crews responded and were able to pull the woman out of a door. She suffered minor injuries but was transported to an area hospital, Walker said.
Officers found an open beer can in the Civic, and they were considering charging the driver with DUI, having no valid driver’s license and other infractions, Walker said.
Two hospitalized with injuries after I-90 rollover
Two people remained hospitalized Thursday from injuries they received when their vehicle rolled on Interstate 90 near Four Lakes.
The crash happened Wednesday when the driver of an eastbound Dodge pickup attempted to merge into the left lane. The driver of the GMC Yukon that was in the left lane swerved to get out of the way but overcorrected, the Washington State Patrol reported. The Yukon hit the Dodge and rolled.
Passengers in the Yukon, who are from Helena, were taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center. The driver, Shirley Mangan, 62, was listed in serious condition on Thursday. Martin Mangan, 66, was listed in satisfactory condition.
The driver of the Dodge, Cheney resident Gene Bateman, 56, was not injured.
All passengers in both cars were wearing seat belts.
Noam Chomsky to speak at WSU
Pullman Noted linguist, author and political writer Noam Chomsky will speak at the annual Potter Memorial Lecture on April 22 at Washington State University.
“Imminent Crises: Responsibilities and Opportunities” will be the title of Chomsky’s speech. The event, which begins at 3:30 p.m. in the Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum, is free of charge and open to the public.
Chomsky, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 50 years, revolutionized the scientific study of language and is among the best-known scholars in the country.
He has also been a prominent critic of U.S. foreign policy, prominently opposing the Vietnam War and recently arguing in his latest book, “Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance (The American Empire Project)” that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, while deplorable, can be traced to U.S. actions and power, according to The Columbia Encyclopedia.
Chomsky, a native of Philadelphia, received a doctorate in linguistics in 1955 from the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the MIT staff in 1955 and in 1961 was appointed full professor. In 1976 he was appointed institute professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy.
Chomsky has lectured at many universities in the United States and abroad and is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards. He has written and lectured widely on linguistics, philosophy, intellectual history, contemporary issues, international affairs and U.S. foreign policy.
The Potter lecture brings an internationally known philosopher to WSU each year.
County receives funds for ORV park program
Spokane County has received $37,000 to develop an education and law enforcement program at Liberty Lake Off-road Vehicle Park, which attracts about 4,500 riders a season.
The grant, given by the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation, will help the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office pay for additional patrols during the peak riding season, said Sheriff Mark Sterk in a news release.
It will also fund part of a ranger position, new equipment and educational signs, maps and materials that encourage safe park usage.
The county also allocated $23,000 for the effort, and Spokane County Sheriff’s Oriented Policing Effort will donate 500 hours of volunteer patrols.
Driver in seven-vehicle crash faces charges
Seattle An Edmonds man accused of chasing and ramming his fleeing girlfriend’s pickup, resulting in a seven-vehicle crash and five injuries, was held Thursday on $750,000 bail.
Michael Richard Testa, 39, made an initial appearance in King County Superior Court, said spokesman Dan Donohoe with the King County prosecutor’s office. Charges will be filed by Monday, Donohoe said.
Testa was being held in the King County Jail for investigation of three counts of vehicular assault and second-degree assault-domestic violence.
He is accused of chasing his girlfriend along Aurora Avenue in the Shoreline area north of Seattle on Wednesday and intentionally ramming her pickup with his. Both vehicles wound up in oncoming traffic. Five other vehicles were struck, one of them parked.
Court documents said Testa’s girlfriend – Elizabeth Campo, 43 – was seriously injured in the pileup that shut down the busy highway for more than five hours. Also seriously injured was a woman identified as Ethel Adams, the probable cause document said.
Both were listed in serious condition Thursday in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center, spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson said.