Lewis County Sirens.com

Updated at 1:53 p.m.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A bicyclist who tried to cross the tracks as a freight train was approaching in downtown Centralia last night fell off his bike and was killed by the train.

Officers dispatched at about 11:22 p.m. found him deceased and laying on the tracks, according to the Centralia Police Department.

It happened near the intersection of Locust and Railroad avenues.

Police learned the man had been pedaling east and continued even though the crossing arms were down.

“Witnesses say the subject fell off his bike and was unable to move off the tracks prior to being hit by the train,” detective Patty Finch said in a news release this morning.

Finch said she believes he is local,  and 72 years old, but detectives are not releasing his name.

Detectives, law enforcement with BNSF and the coroner’s office were on the scene until about 2:30 a.m.

Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod said he may be able to reach out to the likely next-of-kin today, but won’t have a confirmed identity of the individual until after the autopsy tomorrow.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  Chehalis police are looking for a blond-haired young man with a silver Ford passenger car after an odd incident at the Twin City Town Center last night.

An individual called 911 about 10:50 p.m. to say he and his 13-year-old grandson were cleaning up the parking lot and the driver pulled up near the young teen.

“He asked the boy where the nearest gas station was, the boy pointed across the parking lot and he told the boy, ‘get in my car’,” Chehalis Police Department spokesperson Linda Bailey said. “The boy replied no and the car drove off.”

A female in the passenger seat reportedly said nothing.

Officers checked the area around the 1400 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue and didn’t locate the car, Bailey said. They broadcast the information to other police departments, she said.

The driver was described as about 20 years old, with a handlebar type mustache, that curled up on its ends, Bailey said.

“We’re looking into the availability of surveillance video and researching possible partial (license) plates,” Bailey said.

Updated

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  A motorcyclist was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle today after a wreck along the 100 block of Hewett Road southeast of Chehalis.

Members of Lewis County Fire District 6 responded to the approximately noontime crash to find the motorcycle had left the roadway into the vegetation and the patient had chest injuries, according to a district spokesperson.

The patient was transported by ambulance to a nearby privately owned landing strip where he was transferred to the care of the AirLift Northwest crew, spokesperson Firefighter DJ Hammer indicated.

It happened near Steveson Road. The 64-year-old Chehalis man initially was said to not have been wearing a helmet, but it turned out he was, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Meanwhile a motorcyclist speeding down Interstate 5 last night who laid down his motorcycle before colliding with the underside of a semi truck was listed in satisfactory condition this morning.

Troopers notified about 9:40 p.m. had been chasing the 1998 Honda VTR1000 southbound for an unknown reason, according to the Washington State Patrol.

State Patrol spokesperson Trooper Dave Bourland said the pursuit had been terminated prior to the accident.

It ended near milepost 59 outside of Vader. The southbound lanes were partially closed until 2 o’clock this morning.

Michael B. Hills, 38, of Kelso, was transported to  PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver for treatment, the investigating trooper reports. At midmorning, Hills remained in the intensive care unit, but was in satisfactory condition, a hospital spokesperson said.

Hills is to be arrested for driving under the influence as well as eluding, according to the state patrol.

He was wearing a helmet and did have a motorcycle endorsement, the state patrol reports.

Bourland had no further details such as where the pursuit began or why.
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CORRECTION: This news story has been updated to correctly reflect the motorcyclist in the Hewett Road  wreck was wearing a helmet. Incorrect information had been provided by the sheriff’s office.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  A motorist spotted smoke and flames just east of Interstate 5 when passing through Chehalis yesterday afternoon, drawing a response from three departments for a structure fire.

Chehalis Fire Department Capt. Casey Beck said they found a detached garage burning next to a vacant home near the 500 block of Maryland Avenue at about 2 p.m.

“We got there, the garage was fully involved,” Beck said. “We pulled a line and got it put out.”

The response involved about a dozen firefighters, he said.

Since the residence was unoccupied, the garage was empty, and now it’s gutted, according to Beck.

“I’m not sure why it caught fire, it’s still under investigation,” he said.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The 1-year-old girl who survived the high-speed wreck that killed her mother south of Chehalis over the weekend was released from the hospital yesterday and seems to be doing fine, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said today.

The car struck at least one tree after hitting a ditch and going airborne, ejecting the baby onto the roadway itself, according to sheriff’s Cmdr. Dusty Breen.

Kelsie Gonzalez, 31, of Chehalis, died at the scene on the 3100 block of Jackson Highway Sunday night. The child was flown by helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Breen said the little girl, who just recently had her first birthday, was treated for multiple lacerations and kept at the hospital for observation. She was discharged to her father, he said.

“It’s amazing, when you think about the (damage) and the vehicle going airborne,” Breen said. “That baby is extremely lucky.”

Gonzalez was not wearing a seat belt and died of internal injuries from the impact, according to authorities.

The child’s car seat was found secured into the 1990 Acura, but the straps which would have been holding the baby to its car seat were not fastened. Where or how the little one was situated in the vehicle before the wreck isn’t clear, Breen said.

“It’s probably one of those things we’ll never know,” he said.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The motorcyclist who was killed when she traveled off the road and through a barbed wire fence in Mineral was Sandra L. Scott, according to the Lewis County Coroner’s Office.

The 52-year-old resident of the northeastern Lewis County community wasn’t wearing a helmet and died at the scene, according to authorities.

The accident on Wednesday evening on the 700 block of Mineral Creek Road occurred at a sweeping curve, the sheriff’s office said.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Recreational campfires even on private property are prohibited starting tomorrow in unincorporated Lewis County, given the ongoing and worsening dry conditions.

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If you want to roast marshmallows out of doors, you can still do that as long as it takes place inside a propane or charcoal barbecuer that has a lid.

The county Board of Commissioners put outdoor burning restrictions in place in mid-June, given the substantial fire danger.

Today they issued the stricter rule and will leave it in place until further notice. It begins right after midnight tonight.

“The Lewis County fire marshal, in coordination with the chiefs of local fire districts, strongly urge all county residents and property owners to be attentive to the conditions of their properties through proactive fire prevention measures,”  Lewis County Community Development Director Lee Napier stated in a news release.

The board of commissioners have authority over areas in Lewis County that are outside any city limits and not part of any state or federal lands.

The state Department of Natural Resources put similar restrictions in place at the end of June on all state-owned lands.

DNR personnel have been dispatched to at least two local brush fires in recent days, taking over from local fire departments on larger grass, brush and timber fires.

As of last Friday, 655 wildfires had ignited on the 13 million acres DNR protects across the state. By this date in 2014, the worst wildfire season in state history, there had been 455 fires.

For further information, Napier can be reached at 360-740-1146.