Mason County man suffered cardiac event prior to crash on state Route 3
A 68-year-old Belfair man who died Monday morning at the scene of a crash that involved eight vehicles had suffered a cardiac event prior to the collision, the Mason County Coroner said.
Coroner Jaime Taylor shared her findings on the department’s Facebook page.
“The cause of death for Thomas (W.) Johnson, who was involved in the traffic incident on May 12th on Highway 3, has been determined to be a probable cardiac arrhythmia,” she wrote. “Contributing factors include blunt force injuries to the head, neck, and chest. The manner of death has been ruled as accidental.”
About 9:50 a.m. Monday, May 12, Johnson was headed south on state Route 3 near Belfair Elementary School.
Washington State Patrol troopers, who released a memo about the crash, say he lost control, drove into oncoming traffic and hit two northbound vehicles, including a Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department vehicle.
Thomas’ vehicle then left the road and continued into the elementary school parking lot where his vehicle crashed into five other vehicles. He died at the scene of the wreck, according to State Patrol.
Johnson was not wearing a seat belt, the State Patrol reports. A State Patrol memo also said troopers suspected he was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Coroner Taylor said Johnson tested positive for alcohol, but that does not mean he was driving above the legal limit. If he had one beer, he would have tested positive for alcohol, she said.
Taylor will know more once she has received the results of a toxicology report, she said.
The drivers and passengers in the two northbound vehicles were not injured.
This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
