A 67-year-old man died Feb. 16 after his minivan went into a ditch and collided with a culvert in a northeast Lacey neighborhood. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is investigating how the incident happened.
Lacey Fire Chief Jennifer Schmidt said crews were dispatched at 4:22 p.m. Thursday to the 4600 block of Skylark Street. When crews arrived, they found the vehicle had significant exterior damage and airbags had been deployed, but the interior wasn’t impacted heavily, she said.
The man was removed from the car and was at that point in critical condition, Schmidt said. He was placed in the back of a medic unit, and his vital signs started to diminish. Schmidt said medical staff conducted CPR for 30 minutes, at which point hospital guidelines instructed them to stop.
Schmidt said it’s unclear, but possible, the man was suffering from a medical emergency prior to the accident. That’s under investigation with the sheriff’s office.
Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock said he’s still waiting to notify next of kin before releasing the man’s name.
