SEQUIM — The 28-year-old Sequim man who died in a head-on wreck in Kingston last Wednesday had been critically injured in a similar car crash on U.S. Highway 101 near Discovery Bay on July 1, 2014.
In both cases, Benjamin MacQueen’s vehicle had crossed the centerline and hit another, according to the State Patrol.
Also in both instances, MacQueen, a Sequim resident, was driving with a suspended license, the State Patrol said.
When he died, MacQueen was awaiting a trial date on charges of felony burglary in the second degree, felony possession of methamphetamine, misdemeanor tampering with physical evidence and misdemeanor malicious mischief.
Hits SUV
In the March 11 wreck, MacQueen was driving westbound on state Highway 104 when his white 1994 Toyota Camry four-door sedan crossed the centerline at the intersection with Parcells Road in Kingston and struck head-on a black 1994 Jeep Cherokee SUV being driven eastbound by Kingston resident James A. Norberg.
Both vehicles rotated counterclockwise.
The Toyota came to rest in the center of the intersection, and the Jeep came to rest on the eastbound lane’s shoulder.
Norberg, 53, was listed in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Tuesday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
By Sunday, he had been moved from the intensive care unit, where he had been since he was transported to Harborview from Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton.
A passenger in Norberg’s Jeep — a 14-year-old Kingston girl who was not identified because of her age — was discharged from Harborview over the weekend.
She had been in critical condition in the intensive care unit when she arrived last week.
While it is unknown whether drugs or alcohol were involved, investigators “have some evidence that supports that possibility,” said Trooper Russ Winger, State Patrol spokesman.
“The toxicology report will shed evidence either way,” he said, adding that the cause of the wreck remains under investigation.
In last year’s wreck, MacQueen was injured when the vehicle he was driving on U.S. Highway 101 near Uncas Road in Jefferson County crossed the centerline and collided with a semi-truck, the State Patrol said.
The truck driver was not injured, troopers said.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.