VANCOUVER -- A woman who drove the wrong-way on Washington 14 late Saturday afternoon and died in a head-on collision was Sheila Marie Walls, 29, a Columbia Helicopters employee who had left a memorial service for the company's founder.
Dan Sweet of Columbia Helicopters said Walls, 29, of Estacada, had been at the Vancouver Hilton for the funeral of Wes Lematta. She was a records control clerk in their quality department.
The company issued the following statement:
“We are greatly saddened by the tragic loss of one of our employees while we are still mourning the loss of our company founder, Wes Lematta. Sheila Walls was also a member of our extended family, and we will now mourn her loss as well. We wish to extend our deepest condolences to her family. They will join the Lematta family in our thoughts and prayers.”
How she ended up driving the wrong-way on SR 14 remains under investigation, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Walls was driving a 1991 Honda Accord east down the fast lane of the westbound lanes about 4:37 p.m. when she struck Krystal McLaughlin, 30, of Portland in a 2008 VW. McLaughlin swerved but was hit in the left rear quarterpanel of her car. She was not injured.
Kyle Talley, 23, of West Hills, Calif., was also eastbound in the fast lane in a 2005 Jeep. He swerved and did avoid a collision, but was forced off the roadway.
Walls continued on and hit head-on with Brian J. Gonsalves, 33, of Camas, who was in a 2004 Acura. Gonsalves was taken to Southwest Washington Medical Center with a broken right ankle. Passenger Elizabeth M. Gonsalves, 32, was taken there with a broken neck, back and left wrist and abdominal injuries.
At the same moment as the head-on, Laissa Afterbuffalo, 20, of Vancouver, swerved to avoid the wreck and sideswiped the Honda. She and passenger Kyle Bell, 21, of Vancouver, were not hurt.
