Olympia man killed in Highway 101 wreck south of Brinnon

Published 1:30 am Thursday, May 23, 2019

BRINNON — An Olympia man died Thursday after the pickup he was driving was struck by a dump truck along the Hood Canal south of Brinnon in a wreck that sent the truck driver to a hospital, the State Patrol said.

Ronald J. Casey, 61, was driving a 2014 Dodge Ram when it was struck by a 2006 Kenworth dump truck driven by Delbert E. Houk, 47, of Port Angeles, according to a collision memo.

The wreck occurred at about 7:47 a.m. on U.S. Highway 101 near Triton Heights Road in Mason County just south of the Jefferson County line.

“The driver of the pickup did not survive,” Trooper Brandon Johanson, State Patrol spokesman.

“The driver of the dump truck was airlifted to Harborview (Medical Center in Seattle) for injuries.”

Houk’s condition at Harborview was not immediately available.

The State Patrol said the dump truck was southbound near milepost 315 when it drove into a ditch, re-entered the roadway, crossed the center line and struck the driver’s side of the northbound pickup.

The dump truck rolled onto its side and spilled a load of sludge from a pulp mill onto the highway, according to the State Patrol.

The material was not hazardous but required a lengthy cleanup during which the roadway was closed.

The highway reopened at about 3:45 p.m.

Casey and Houk were each wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. Drugs or alcohol were not involved, troopers said.

The crash was under investigation and charges were pending, according to the 5:29 p.m. memo.

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.