DRIFTWOOD KEY — Maia Skeisvold, 68, of Hansville was killed and her husband critically injured when their car hit a power pole Thursday morning.

The couple was Airlifted to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center with head injuries where Maia died later that afternoon. Austin, 75, is listed in critical condition.

Emergency crews were called to the crash on Hood Canal Drive near Ponderosa at about 10:25 a.m. when a passerby called 911. Firefighters from North Kitsap Fire & Rescue’s Hansville station arrived at the scene and found a Kitsap County road crew member helping Skeisvold, fire officials said.

According to a Kitsap County sheriff’s deputy report Maia was driving the 1989 Ford Taurus when it veered off the road and struck the pole.

The crash’s impact pushed in the front bumper as much as two feet bending the steering wheel and damaging the windshield and interior dash.

Austin was found on the floor in front of his seat. He was unconscious and barely breathing, suffering from multiple serious injuries.

Maia was alert but experiencing pain and great difficulty breathing. Two Airlift Northwest helicopters met medic crews at a Driftwood Key landing zone to transport the couple.

The car was traveling southbound on Hood Canal Drive, striking the pole when it failed to follow the road as it veered to the right. Investigators don’t believe excessive speed was a factor in the incident.

The couple was not wearing seatbelts.

“Seatbelts and air bags would have made a big difference here and quite possibly could have prevented most of the occupants’ injuries” said NKF&R Captain Ken LeMay.

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause of the incident. Additional information on Austin Skeisvold was not available at press time.