Ellensburg, Washington – One Driver Dead in Truck Collision

Ellensburg, Washington (February 2, 2020) – A man died in from injuries sustained in a collision involving a semi truck and a pickup truck on the intersection of Hanson Road and Cove Road on Sunday afternoon. According to the report from KIMA News, the victim, Thomas M. Conger from Ellensburg, was initially taken to Kittias Valley Hospital for an airlift. Unfortunately, Conger sustained a cardiac arrest shortly after takeoff, and while he was taken back to the hospital medical personnel were unable to revive him. No other injuries were reported in the incident.

According to the information from the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a report of a crash at Hanson Road and Cove Road around 3 p.m. It was determined that Conger was driving east on Hanson Road and failed to stop at a stop sign. Conger’s vehicle was struck by a semi truck heading south on Cove Road, with the impact focused on the driver’s door of Conger’s pickup truck. It has been determined that alcohol and drugs are not a factor in the crash.

About Vehicle Accidents

We offer our sympathies and compassion to the friends and loved ones of the victim. Unfortunately, this is not the only time an accident has resulted in a fatality. In 2017, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)  have reported a total of 120, 993 car accidents. Of those accidents, 525 were fatal ad 34, 311 were possible or suspected of injuries. On the other hand, the state of Washington’s  2015 Annual Collision Data Summary reported that 6,091 commercial vehicle or heavy trucks were involved in collisions in 2015. These crashes included 38 fatal collisions, 85 serious injury collisions, 1,352 minor injury collisions, 4,565 property damage collisions, and 51 unknown injury collisions.

Give the size and build difference between cars and trucks, collisions between the two often result in dangerous situations. Specifically, trucks can weigh 20-30 times more than passenger cars, and their height and greater ground clearance can cause smaller vehicles to be more easily toppled in car-truck accidents. Consequently, studies have proven that most deaths in large truck accidents are passenger vehicle occupants, who are more vulnerable in case of collision. However, in a 2013 study, most car-truck accidents are often caused by car drivers, with relation to driver errors. Regardless of which vehicle you are driving, one must always exercise caution on the road. With both cars and trucks, drivers must be responsible for making sure their vehicle is in a good condition and not prone to vehicle failure, and to always consider the road and weather conditions.

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