A 41-year-old married Kennewick man is accused of attacking his girlfriend with a hammer during a fight Monday night, police said.

The 32-year-old Kennewick woman suffered several broken bones on her face, arm and hand. She was able to call police after running to a neighbor's apartment, said Kennewick police Sgt. Ken Lattin.

When officers arrived at the apartment complex at 530 N. Edison St., they discovered that Patrick C. Fairley apparently lives in an apartment there with his wife and girlfriend, Lattin said.

Fairley reportedly got into an argument with his girlfriend and struck her several times with a hammer.

The woman was able to block a few hammer swings, which most likely saved her life, Lattin said.

After the attack, Fairley calmed down and the woman was able to go to a neighbor's apartment. She was treated by paramedics then taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland.

Fairley left the apartment before officers arrived, but patrol units learned he was still in the apartment complex and found him hiding behind some garage units northeast of the complex, Lattin said.

Fairley was arrested and booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of first-degree domestic violence assault.