SUMAS, Wash. — First responders were dispatched to Reese Hill Road (SR547) in the area of Anderson Lake Drive about 7pm on Sunday, July 30th, due reports of a single-vehicle crash.
Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper Kelsey Harding told Whatcom News they arrived to find a SUV had ran off the road and crashed into a tree. Aid crews had to extricate the driver, the only occupant, from the vehicle. The driver was declared dead at the scene.
Reese Hill Road was expected to remain temporarily closed for an extended period while investigators work the scene.
Washington State Department of Transportation reported all lanes were reopened about 10pm.
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A WSP press memo later said investigators determined the driver, identified as a 63-year-old Maple Falls man, was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
The press memo said the black 2000 Nissan Pathfinder was northbound when it failed to negotiate a curve. The driver overcorrected and crossed to the opposite side where the Nissan left the roadway and came to rest in shrubbery.
It was unknown whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.