In brief: Driver goes into coma, crashes

Two people suffered injuries Tuesday after a driver went into a diabetic coma and drove off the road, the Washington State Patrol said.

Douglas A. Cox, 36, of Pullman, was headed west on State Route 194 when he went into a coma and crossed the centerline of the highway, moving into the eastbound ditch before striking a culvert and a hillside, according to the state patrol. The crash occurred at 10:45 a.m. about 25 miles south of Colfax.

Neither Cox nor a passenger was wearing a seat belt, and both were airlifted to Deaconess Medical Center.

A condition was not available for Cox, but authorities said the passenger was critical late Tuesday evening.

Officers did not write any citations, and no charges are pending.

Spokane

Race for the Cure raises $350,000

The second Eastern Washington Race for the Cure raised about $350,000 for breast cancer research and treatment, race organizers announced Tuesday.

More than 4,200 people took part in Sunday’s race, said Tom McArthur, a board member of the Eastern Washington chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the nonprofit that sponsors Race for a Cure.

Spokane Valley

Valley man wins $3 million

A Spokane Valley man won $3 million in a recent Lotto drawing.

Tom Walker, a real estate agent, was a millionaire for nearly a month without realizing it.

He’d bought his ticket at Casey’s Red Apple store in Langley, Wash., during the first week of April while spending spring break with his family on Whidbey Island. Weeks went by, and Walker never got around to checking his numbers.

Then on April 22 he was out eating Chinese food with his wife, Traci. They broke fortune cookies and Walker’s said he was in store for an especially important Monday.

“The next day was Monday morning. I got on the computer to check my ticket and it was an important day,” Walker said.

Walker showed up at Washington Lottery headquarters in Spokane Valley on Tuesday to collect his prize. The man who plays the lottery only four or five times a year chose a 25-year payout of $90,000 a year after taxes.

Walker, who plans to keep selling real estate for Tomlinson Black, said he’ll spend part of the money putting his four children through college and maybe become a pilot. He said he had no plans for the remainder of the cash.

Casey’s Red Apple received a $30,000 check for selling the winning ticket.

Valley home destroyed by fire

A Spokane Valley ranch home was destroyed in a fire early Tuesday. No one was injured.

An 80-year-old woman living in the home at 10510 E. Dean reported the fire shortly after 7 a.m., said Spokane Valley Fire spokesman Bill Clifford.

She said she heard an explosion in the basement.

“She opened the door to look and saw a glow,” said Clifford.

The woman called for help from a neighbor’s home.

Two ladder trucks, three engines and several other trucks responded to the fire, which destroyed the home.

“The whole thing is gutted. Every room has been burned, including the garage,” Clifford said. “Pretty much the whole roof in the back has been weakened or collapsed.”

Firefighters were able to save a classic Ford Thunderbird by attaching a strap and pulling it out of the garage, Clifford said.

From staff reports