Gardiner woman killed in US101 wreck

Woman was office manager at Discovery Bay RV Park

A Gardiner woman was killed Monday afternoon in a three-vehicle collision at the Discovery Bay Recreational Vehicle Resort on U.S. Highway 101 that tied up traffic for almost three hours.

Judy Ann Cates, 59, office manager at the RV park, was declared dead at the scene. The wreck’s cause and any charges remain under investigation, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The wreck occurred when a Dodge Caravan driven by Bradley M. Fields, 48, Port Hadlock, rear-ended Cates’ Saturn that was stopped to turn left into the RV park about 2:40 p.m. Monday, the incident report stated.

Cates’ Saturn spun into the oncoming northbound lane in front of a Ford F250 pickup truck driven by Todd Daniel Fischer, 40, Port Ludlow.

The pickup struck Cates’ Saturn in the left rear. It continued across the highway came to rest on the northbound shoulder.

Fields was treated at Jefferson Healthcare for a possible neck injury and released.

Both Fischer and a passenger in his pickup, 50-year-old Gregory S. Pelham of Port Hadlock, were treated at Olympic Medical Center for possible neck injuries and released.

All three drivers and the passenger were wearing seatbelts, according to the report.

The Saturn and pickup were totalled.

The Caravan sustained an estimated $4,000 damage and was towed from the scene.

Reach Brian Gawley at bgawley@sequimgazette.com.