PORT ANGELES — Mason Stollar has been identified as the driver who crashed his 2008 Mazda 6 into the Northwest Tobacco Emporium store at 309 East First Street late Tuesday night.
He is recovering from a broken femur at Olympic Medical Center. He has not been arrested, said Deputy Police Chief Jason Viada on Friday afternoon.
“His trip through the courts is going to be delayed because of the need of a blood test. The nature of his injuries is a broken femur,” Viada said.
A witness said the man was traveling at a high rate of speed down First Street before his car crashed into the front of the store and burst into flames at about 11:40 p.m. Tuesday.
Two Port Angeles police officers, with the aid of an unidentified Good Samaritan, rescued the man, who was trapped part-way inside the car.
Officer Lilly Emery suffered lacerations from the broken glass while trying to rescue the driver, and Officer Kyle Cooper’s uniform was burnt while reaching into the burning car. Officer Jeff Ordoña also aided in the response.
Firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire, which also damaged the building.
Mark Nichols, Clallam County prosecuting attorney, told the Clallam County commissioners in a March 2020 work session that the average turnaround time for state crime lab testing was five to seven months and the backlogs had become worse in recent years.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons website, femoral shaft fractures take three to six months to completely heal. “Some take even longer, especially if the fracture was open or broken into several pieces or if the patient uses tobacco products.”
________
Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at brian.gawley@sound publishing.com.
