A woman was hospitalized after crashing into a dead elk on the Hanford Reach

A series of people hitting a elk in the middle of Highway 24 ended with a crash that hurt a woman Friday morning.

The problem started when a semi-truck heading down the highway hit and killed an elk in the Hanford Reach National Monument, said the Washington State Patrol.

The semi pulled to the side of the road to report the crash. As the driver was reporting it, a pickup ran into the animal and kept going.

Then Bertha Escalante Ramirez, 48, of Pasco, was driving west through the area at 5:15 a.m. when she was surprised by the carcass, said the WSP. Her Nissan Versa hit the animal and flipped.

She suffered minor injuries and was treated at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland.

In November, elk on the highways were blamed for three other collisions on the Hanford nuclear reservation. One wreck killed a Hanford worker on a motorcycle.

An adult elk can weigh 400 to 800 pounds, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The state estimates about 1,000 elk live on the national monument. Hanford officials and the state patrol urge drivers to use caution in the area.

This story was originally published August 23, 2019 at 11:37 AM.