Five Injured In Rural Chelan County Crash

Five people have injuries following a two-vehicle accident in rural Chelan County on Tuesday afternoon.

The Washington State Patrol reports the collision occurred at around 3:45 p.m. on State Route 20 (SR-20) about 22 miles west of Mazama, when a sedan driven by 33-year-old Emily Griebenow of Tacoma pulled onto the shoulder of the roadway and was struck by an oncoming mini-van during an attempt to turn around.

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"Apparently, she missed her turn," says Trooper Jeremy Weber. "And instead of going up ahead and turning around she just turned and crossed the westbound lane as the mini-van was coming up. She obviously didn't see it and turned in front of it."

Weber says the crash should serve as a cautionary tale for drivers considering U-turns on the highway.

"The moral of the story is if you miss your turn, go down the road a ways away where it's safe to turn around and go back at it. Don't take a chance on cutting across the lanes of traffic."

Griebenow and all four occupants of the mini-van, 60-year-old Xianggan Kuang and 55-year-old Nong Zhang - both of Kenmore, and 61-year-old Runtao Li and 55-year-old Ming Zhang - both of Shanghai, China, all suffered various unspecified injuries in the crash.

Griebenow, Kuang, and Ming Zhang were all transported to Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster for treatment, while Li and Nong Zhang were treated at the scene.

Weber says Griebenow was cited for causing the accident, which blocked the eastbound lanes of SR-20 for several hours.