Saturday, September 22, 2012 • Whidbey News-Times
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Wrecks still on Monkey Hill’s back By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
Three people went to the hospital Thursday for injuries they suffered in a car accident on North Whidbey. According to Marv Koorn, fire chief of North Whidbey Fire and Rescue, the threecar collision occurred at about 1:30 p.m. at the intersection of Monkey Hill Road and Highway 20. Koorn said two people in a Honda Civic were waiting to turn left onto Monkey Hill Road from the highway when they were rear-ended by the sole occupant of a northbound Honda Accord. The first vehicle was hit hard enough that it was pushed into the oncoming lane of traffic where it was subsequently struck by another car, a Volvo S40, that was heading south. Two people were in that vehicle.
The force of the second collision turned the Civic around, and it smashed through a stop sign before rolling down a small hill into a wooded area about 20 feet from the roadway. Koorn said the drivers of the Civic and Accord were transported to Island Hospital in Anacortes and the man and woman in the Volvo went to Whidbey General Hospital in Coupeville, though only one of them was hurt. Koorn does not believe any of the injuries were life threatening, however, he said they were lucky considering the damage to the vehicles and speeds involved. “The potential was there for it to be really bad,” Koorn said. “Fortunately their injuries appear to be minor.” Monkey Hill Road resident Edward Benedict, the passenger of the Civic, said he and his daughter, Colleen Wolf, were driving home from a
trip to Oak Harbor when they were hit. He said it’s a particularly bad intersection due to the lack of left turn lanes. In fact, after more than 30 years of living in the area, he said he’s been expecting to be involved in an accident there for some time. “I knew it would happen eventually,” he said. Other Monkey Hill Road residents that were at the scene of the accident voiced similar complaints about the intersection. “People are killed here all the time,” Donna Higgins said. “If we had left turn lanes, that would help.” According to collision data provided by the state Department of Transportation, 2006 saw a spike of 27 accidents. An extensive safety project was completed that year, resulting in the creation of right-turn lanes, widened shoulders and
Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
A Washington State Patrol trooper speaks with North Whidbey Fire and Rescue Chief Marv Koorn at the scene of a three-car collision at Monkey Hill Road and Highway 20 Thursday. Three people were injured. the removal of dangerous objects, such as trees and utility poles. “We believe these highway improvements have made a change for the better along the highway,” agency spokesman Dustin Terpening said
in an email to the Whidbey News-Times. Since the improvements, the area has seen a 40 percent reduction in collisions. In 2007 and 2008, there were 16 collisions each year, and in 2009, nine collisions. The past three
years have resulted in just one collision a year. “This is a substantial improvement,” Terpening wrote. The Washington State Patrol is investigating the cause of the accident.
Regency on Whidbey protestors dispute managers By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
Jan Ellis and Bill Noack wave homemade protest signs in front of Regency on Whidbey Monday afternoon. They are mad about recent staff changes and have disagreements with management of Regency’s assisted living facility.
Dissatisfaction over a recent staff change and other gripes with Regency on Whidbey leadership recently led to a small band of protestors taking to the streets. The handful of malcontents spent much of Sunday and Monday waving homemade signs in front of the Oak Harbor retirement and assisted living facility at the intersection of SW Swantown and SW Fort Nugent avenues. The signs displayed a range of messages, from “Honk for the residents at Regency,” to “Do Regency residents have any rights here?” and “Boo Regency Corporation.” Doug Colling, regional vice
president of operations for Regency Pacific, the Whidbey retirement home’s parent company, acknowledged that some issues have been expressed by current and past residents and the company is doing what it can to address their concerns. He declined, however, to go into detail since the issues are private matters that involve company workers. Colling expressed disappointment that they had been dragged into the public arena. “These are personnel matters that are between the corporation and its employees,” Colling said. Oak Harbor resident Jan Ellis was one of those who decided to take to the streets and protest problems she
says are largely management related. Many aspects of the facility are great, she said, but recent staff changes and problems at Regency’s assisted living division, Harbor Care, are unacceptable. “Good people have been fired or quit and the deep underlying problem is the nursing department,” Ellis said. A past Regency resident with her late husband, former Oak Harbor Mayor Ray “Doc” Ellis, she helped form a resident council to help communicate with corporate leadership about past problems. Ellis and the protestors are upset that the facility’s administrator, who was very popular among Regency residents, was recently let go. They are
also unhappy with Harbor Care management, citing gripes that range from complaints going unanswered to long wait times for service. “We’re speaking for the people in Harbor Care who can’t speak for themselves,” Ellis said. Colling confirmed that he held a large meeting with residents last week to discuss the issues. He again declined to go into details, but did say the company is taking the complaints under advisement. “What I can say is we listen to our residents, meet with them and try to meet their concerns,” Colling said. “We here at Regency are all about our residents, first and foremost,” he said.
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