Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Two motorists were hospitalized after they ran into elk on U.S. Highway 12 in separate accidents overnight.

In both cases, the elk were standing in the roadway in between Randle and Packwood, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Troopers called just before 2 a.m. said an eastbound Honda Civic was totaled. Monica G. Kim, 24, of Snoqualmie sustained cuts to her face and hand, according to the state patrol.

Abut 20 minutes later and five miles to the east, a 56-year-old man on a motorcycle hit a second elk, according to the state patrol. Charles L. Wallace, of Brush Prairie, also had cuts to his face and hand, the responding trooper noted.

Each were taken to Morton General Hospital where they were treated and have been released.

Wallace’s 1990 Harley Davidson had an estimated $400 damage, according to the trooper.

Updated 12:49 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 12-year-old boy swimming at Mayfield Lake was struck by a boat propeller and seriously injured yesterday.

The child was airlifted to a Portland area hospital with deep lacerations to his chest, stomach and thigh, according to responders.

Aid was called to the county park off Beach Road just after 3 p.m., but a sheriff’s deputy out on boat patrol was already on the scene providing first aid, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said the boy was approximately 20 feet offshore, swimming next to his father’s boat while the boat was being moored. The father mistakenly put the boat in the wrong gear, striking the 12-year-old, according to Brown.

It happened near the swimming area, according to Lewis County Fire District 8.

The boy was transported to the Mossyrock school ball field where a helicopter picked him up and flew him to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, according to the sheriff’s office.

The family is from Beaverton. Ore.

Brown described the boy’s condition yesterday as serious. Today the hospital said he is stable, Brown said.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 65-year-old motorcyclist was injured this afternoon when he was going too fast around a curve and struck a guard rail along state Route 508 about 10 miles west of Morton, according to the Washington State Patrol.

David R. Weaver, from Lacey, was westbound at Bear Canyon when it happened, according to the state patrol. He suffered a concussion, scrapes and bruises, the responding trooper indicated.

Troopers were called to the scene just before 4 p.m.

The 2006 Harley Davidson sustained an estimated $1,000 damage and was towed.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The coroner’s office will have one less set of unclaimed remains to bury next month, thanks to publicity generated from publishing a list of the urns that are stored at their office.

Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod said a family member came forward and picked up her relative yesterday after news stories appeared.

Harry Edwin Fields Jr., 58, has been in the custody of the coroner since he died at his Chehalis home in October 2004.

McLeod didn’t say what the relationship was, just that the woman was local.

Over the past 14 years, each unclaimed person has been cremated and kept by the coroner.

McLeod thought they had exhausted all avenues for finding family members, and is making plans for a burial next month in a donated plot at Claquato Cemetery.

The 15 remaining urns will share a spot in a part of the cemetery known as the county section.

A non-denominational memorial service is scheduled for Aug. 22 at 2 p.m.

The public is welcome to attend.

Claquato Cemetery is about two miles west of Chehalis at 142 Stearns Road.
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For background including the list, read “The unclaimed dead of Lewis County” from Sunday July 29, 2012, here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A Centralia man is in serious condition after a motorcycle accident last night on Interstate 5 north of Grand Mound.

Christopher L. Fee, 30, was traveling northbound near milepost 95 at Maytown when he made a lane change and  struck a pickup truck, according to the Washington State Patrol.

It happened just before 9:40 p.m.

The freeway was closed down so a helicopter could pick the motorcyclist up. He was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Responders from West Thurston Regional Fire Authority described the victim with an “altered level of consciousness” who suffered multi-system traumatic injuries.

The state patrol attributed speed to causing the wreck and noted drugs or alcohol were involved.

The pickup truck was not damaged, according to the state patrol.

Fee is in serious condition this morning in the intensive care unit at Harborview, a hospital spokesperson said.

West Thurston Fire Lt. Lanette Dyer said during the event, crews got a 911 call from a pregnant woman stuck about 40 cars back in the backup.

She was treated by medics and then released, Dyer said. They were false contractions and she just felt safer having someone check her out, Dyer said.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A small pickup truck hit a power pole on the 1000 block of South Gold Street in Centralia this afternoon, sheering it off at its base and causing several lines to detach all the way down to Floral Street, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

It happened just before 1:40 p.m. and the roadway was shut down until about 4:30 p.m., according to authorities.

An older gentleman had a medical problem that caused the wreck and was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert.

One lane is still closed and utility crews are expected to be out there for quite awhile making repairs, Officer John Panco said.