PORT ANGELES — A Port Orchard driver who was mechanically extracted from his vehicle was airlifted to a Seattle hospital after he crashed his Tesla Model 3 into a home east of Port Angeles.
Robert Troy Escalante, 24, remained in critical condition late Tuesday afternoon following the Monday evening crash, a Harborview Medical Center spokesperson said.
Brian King, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office chief criminal deputy, said Escalante was in critical but stable condition at the hospital.
King said Escalante was going to the house in the 40 block of Round Tree Road near the intersection with Monroe Road to visit a friend.
Escalante drove into the side corner of the home shortly before 9:40 p.m. Monday, Clallam County Fire District 2 Chief Jake Patterson said.
The red vehicle was sticking halfway out of the bottom of the house, according to fire district photos.
“It was smashed in there pretty good,” Patterson said.
No one in the house was injured, Patterson said.
King said two people were in the house at the time.
King said an alcohol container was found in the vehicle.
The wreck is being investigated as a probable DUI, according to a Sheriff’s Office press release.
King and Patterson said they did not know if Escalante was wearing a seat belt.
The vehicle appeared to have broken through skirting below the living room and beneath the structure.
The vehicle’s air bags had deployed, Patterson said.
Escalante was unconscious while being treated by first responders, Patterson said.
Escalante, trapped in the vehicle, was extricated by use of high-lift jacks and reciprocating saws that forced open the vehicle door.
Airlift Northwest was asked to fly to Olympic Medical Center to transfer Escalante, but due to a delay in arrival, he was transported to OMC’s emergency room for stabilization and was eventually airlifted to Harborview, according to the fire department.
“Local Lifeflight helicopters were already committed to other patient transports and were unavailable,” according to a Fire District 2 press release.
The house is valued at $275,500, according to the assessor’s office.
“Crews remained on scene to help stabilize the house since a large portion of the corner foundation had been significantly damaged,” according to the fire district press release.
“Cribbing blocks were placed along the foundation and under floor joist to stabilize the house for when the vehicle was removed,” it said.
“A tow company arrived and was able to pull the vehicle free from the house without any more damage to the structure.”
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
A house at in the 800 block of Monroe Road east of Port Angeles stands damaged on Tuesday after it was struck by a car on Monday night. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
