PORT ANGELES — A 27-year-old man died Saturday morning after he drove a van through a fence and down a 30- to 40-foot drop to the bottom of a gravel pit.
Clallam County sheriff’s deputies pronounced Brian C. Hughes dead at the scene off Mount Pleasant Road about a mile south of U.S. Highway 101 after attempting resuscitation.
Alcohol is believed to have been a factor, and an autopsy is planned.
The wreck occurred shortly after 3 a.m., Sgt. Randy Pieper said later Saturday.
Pieper said Hughes had just left the site of a domestic violence call a “couple blocks” away.
The sergeant said it didn’t appear that any form of assault occurred.
Deputies responding to the call were directed to the wreck, reported by a nearby resident who heard a loud crash.
Hughes was ejected from the van and found unconscious. No one else was in the vehicle.
Tread marks were located on the road, Pieper said.
