Driver dies after suspected medical emergency on rural Thurston County road

A 70-year-old driver died Monday morning in a single-car crash on Bald Hills Road southeast outside Yelm. The driver was suspected to have suffered a medical emergency before leaving the road and crashing into a fence and tree.

Thurston County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Brooks said the crash occurred before 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 7, near the intersection of Bald Hills Road and Mountain Vista Drive Southeast. He said it’s suspected a medical emergency caused the man to lose control of the vehicle.

There were no drugs or alcohol involved, he said, and the Thurston County Coroner will determine the official cause of death. He said deputies parked on the side of the road to slow down traffic, but the roadway stayed open while the scene was being investigated.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

360-357-0201

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