PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man was in surgery in a Seattle hospital Tuesday afternoon after an early morning wreck on the Lower Elwha Reservation that day.
Leo Sawyer-Lucas, 19, was badly hurt at about 1:57 a.m. Tuesday when the 1992 Toyota pickup truck he was driving northbound on Ranger Road left the road, struck two trees and came to rest against a third tree, said Elwha Police Detective Josh Grasseth.
Excessive speed contributed to the wreck, and Sawyer-Lucas is under investigation for driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, Grasseth said.
Sawyer-Lucas has not been arrested.
He had to be extricated from the severely damaged pickup, said Assistant Fire Chief Mike DeRousie of Clallam County Fire District No. 2.
“Firefighters extricated the driver with the Jaws of Life, peeling the roof over the hood and cutting both doors off to gain access to the driver,” DeRousie said.
The driver was transported to Olympic Medical Center, then transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle by helicopter for treatment of serious injuries.
Sawyer-Lucas was in surgery at Harborview late Tuesday afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said, adding that his condition was unknown.
Fire District No. 2 responded to the wreck with an engine, two medical units and seven firefighters.
Clallam County Sheriff’s Office deputies assisted. Olympic Ambulance responded.
________
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
