TWO DIE IN SUNDAY NIGHT AUTO ACCIDENT

By Chris Cook – Forks Forum editor

Stephen Pettibone, 28, and Tiffany Eastman, 24, of Forks died Sunday night in a one-car auto accident south of Forks along Highway 101 at about 10:40 p.m.

A Washington State Patrol report said use of drugs or alcohol by the driver may have been involved. Several cans of alcoholic beverages were found at the crash site, according to a state patrol report.

Pettibone’s 1998 Mustang was headed southbound on Highway 101 when it went off the highway and collided on the passenger’s side into a large tree, according to the report. The car then re-entered the highway on the driver’s side and both the driver and passenger were ejected out the rear window.

The crash remains under investigation, with the Mustang impounded in Forks.

Pettibone and Eastman were pronounced dead at Forks Community Hospital.

The accident caused the highway to be blocked around milepost 173.5 for almost four hours.

Neither Pettibone nor Eastman were wearing seat belts, the report said.

Pettibone was released from the Forks jail just prior to the accident after serving a 29-day jail sentence.

A service is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at the A-Ka-Lat Community Center in LaPush for Eastman. She was a 2001 graduate of Forks High School. Her mother, Mary Coberly, is a member of the Quileute tribe.