Three Forks teens died after car crash in tree

FORKS – Three young people have died after a vehicle crashed into a tree on the Sitkum-Solduc Road outside of Forks early Saturday morning, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.

Two 18-year-old men – the driver and front passenger – were pronounced dead at the scene. A 17-year-old woman later died at a Seattle-area hospital and two others – both 19, a man and a woman – were at that hospital in critical condition, said Sgt. John Hollis Saturday.

Authorities will not release the names of the teens until all relatives are notified, Hollis said. They all lived in Forks.

The single-vehicle collision occurred at 4:19 a.m. at mile 5 off the road, Hollis said. The route is known locally as Route A.

A preliminary report indicated that the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree.

Alcohol and vehicle speed are believed to be factors in the collision, according to Hollis.

The matter remained under investigation by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Traffic Investigation Unit on Saturday.