Three dead in Whidbey Island crash

Three people died Friday night in a car crash on Whidbey Island after the passenger of a Chevrolet Blazer SUV grabbed the steering wheel so the driver could remove her sweater, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The Blazer crossed the center line of Highway 20 near Monkey Hill Road just before 9 p.m., Trooper Mark Francis said. It hit a Subaru Outback head-on; inside were a husband and wife, who is six months pregnant.

The husband, Brian R. Wood, 33, of North Vancouver, B.C., died at the scene. His wife was taken to the hospital.

"It sounds like she and the baby are OK," Francis said.

Two men in the back seat of the Blazer died. Jacob D. Quistorf, 25, of Oak Harbor, was trapped in the wreckage; Francis C. Malloy, 26, also of Oak Harbor, was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected. He died in a helicopter on his way to the hospital.

The passenger who took the wheel of the Blazer, a 22-year-old Oak Harbor woman, also was ejected. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of a broken leg.

The driver, a 21-year-old Oak Harbor woman, was ejected but not injured.

The driver is expected to be booked for investigation of vehicular homicide and assault, Francis said. Her passenger also may face charges.

Both are suspected of being under the influence of drugs, he said.