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Coroner identifies man who died when his minivan crashed into a culvert in Lacey Feb. 16

Thurston County resident Michael Elsberry died Feb. 16 after crashing his minivan into a culvert in the 4600 block of Skylark Street in Lacey.
Thurston County resident Michael Elsberry died Feb. 16 after crashing his minivan into a culvert in the 4600 block of Skylark Street in Lacey. Courtesy photo

The man who died Feb. 16 in Lacey when his minivan crashed into a culvert has been identified, but the reason he crashed has yet to be determined.

Michael Elsberry, 67, of Thurston County, died Feb. 16 from blunt force trauma following the single-vehicle accident, Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock said. Elsberry had been living in his vehicle, Warnock said.

Lacey Fire Chief Jennifer Schmidt said crews were dispatched at 4:22 p.m. Feb. 16 to the 4600 block of Skylark Street, where they found the vehicle had significant exterior damage and airbags had been deployed, but the interior wasn’t impacted heavily, she said.

Elsberry was removed from the car and was at that point in critical condition, Schmidt said. He was placed in the back of a Medic unit, and his vital signs started to diminish. Schmidt said medical staff conducted CPR for 30 minutes, until hospital guidelines instructed them to stop.

It’s still unclear what led to Elsberry crashing his car, and it’s being investigated by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

Ty Vinson
The Olympian
Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription
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