Accident under investigation

ROYAL CITY — A Royal City man has been paralyzed from the chest down after being ejected from the car he was driving Saturday.

Jared Schlehuber, 22, was ejected after the 1997 Dodge Caravan he was driving rolled at a high rate of speed on a rural road. Schlehuber remains in serious but guarded condition at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane. He was not wearing his seat belt in the crash.

Grant County Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene shortly after 4:30 p.m. Saturday, in a farm field near Road S SW. The accident occurred in an area approximately 12 miles west of Royal City.

According to reports by the GCSO, Schlehuber's vehicle was traveling at a high speed when it went airborne as it crossed a bridge. The car again became airborne when it crossed the intersection of Road S SW and Road 9 SW. It rolled at least two times.

The car came to rest in the field on the east side of Road S SW.

A passenger in the car, 18-year-old Royal City resident James Dykes, was wearing his seat belt and walked away from the crash uninjured. The Dodge Caravan was totaled in the accident and towed from the scene.

Schlehuber was first transported to Quincy Valley Medical Center with complaints of pain to his chest and little feeling in his lower body, according to the GCSO. Officials in Quincy confirmed Schlehuber suffered broken ribs, and he was later transport