CHEWELAH, WA — A two-vehicle crash on Highway 395 south of Chewelah killed two people Wednesday morning and closed part of the roadway after the northbound lane was blocked. Washington State Patrol said the collision happened just before 11:30 a.m. about three miles south of town.
Troopers said a southbound 1995 Nissan Altima crossed the centerline and hit a northbound 1999 Subaru Legacy head-on. The Nissan then rolled and came to rest on the northbound shoulder. The crash left one driver and one passenger dead at the scene, while a third person was taken to a Spokane hospital.
Washington State Patrol says the Nissan crossed into oncoming traffic
According to Washington State Patrol, the Nissan was traveling south when it drifted across the centerline into the northbound lane. The impact was direct enough to force the Nissan to roll before stopping on the shoulder.
The Subaru was headed north when it was struck. Officials did not immediately say what caused the Nissan to cross the centerline, and no additional contributing factors were listed in the initial account.
Highway 395 is a major north-south route through the area, and the crash scene was still affecting traffic after the collision. The blocked northbound lane underscored how quickly the wreck turned the roadway into a hazard for other drivers passing through the corridor.
Two people died at the scene
Washington State Patrol identified the driver of the Nissan as 50-year-old Brian Smith. Troopers said he died at the scene after the collision.
Jodie Valim, 55, who was riding in the Subaru, also died at the scene. Her name was released along with Smith’s in the state patrol account of the crash.
The deaths made this a fatal two-car collision rather than a minor traffic interruption. For families and emergency responders, the scene turned from a crash response into a death investigation within minutes of the first report.
Fruitland driver taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center
The driver of the Subaru, a 69-year-old man from Fruitland, survived the initial impact and was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center. Washington State Patrol did not release his name in the first report.
Officials also did not provide an update on his condition. The crash details released so far focus on the location of the collision, the vehicles involved, and the two people who died at the scene.
Because the Subaru’s driver was transported for treatment, the aftermath involved both emergency medical care and the investigation into how the head-on impact happened on a busy stretch of highway.
Why this stretch of Highway 395 matters to drivers
The wreck happened just south of Chewelah, where Highway 395 serves as a key route for local traffic and longer-distance travel through the region. When the northbound lane was blocked, drivers in the area likely had to slow, stop, or reroute around the scene.
That kind of shutdown can create delays well beyond the crash site, especially on a highway where vehicles are moving at higher speeds. In this case, the head-on impact and rollover added to the seriousness of the scene and the work needed to clear the roadway.
Washington State Patrol’s account suggests the collision unfolded quickly and with severe force, leaving little time for either driver to avoid the impact once the Nissan crossed into the opposite lane.
What investigators have said so far
So far, Washington State Patrol has released the basic facts: the time, the place, the vehicles, and the names of the people who died. Troopers said the Nissan Altima crossed the centerline and struck the Subaru Legacy head-on.
Investigators have not said whether speed, distraction, impairment, mechanical trouble, or weather played any role. Those questions are often part of a later crash review, but no such findings were included in the initial statement.
For now, the confirmed details point to a fatal lane-crossing crash that left two people dead and one man hospitalized. The investigation remains centered on the sequence of events that began just before 11:30 a.m. south of Chewelah.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
