Coroner IDs truck driver who drove off on-ramp and crashed onto Deschutes Parkway
A log-truck driver who died Wednesday after crashing onto Deschutes Parkway has been identified.
Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock identified the driver as Brian Berry, a 68-year-old Port Orchard man. He said his cause of death was still pending as of Thursday.
The crash occurred around 9:20 a.m. Wednesday as Berry traveled south on Interstate 5 and attempted to merge onto northbound U.S. 101, according to a Washington State Patrol press memo. The truck left the roadway to the left, rolled over a concrete barrier and crashed onto Deschutes Parkway below.
Tumwater Fire Department responded to the crash and observed heavy damage to the truck cab, Battalion Chief Brad Ridgeway previously told The Olympian.
Ridgeway said some witnesses stopped to help Berry get out of the cab. Fire and medical personnel attempted CPR and other life-saving efforts, but Berry died at the scene.
State Patrol is investigating the crash. The memo says the cause of the crash is still pending but investigators do not believe that drugs or alcohol were involved.
The roadway was blocked for about five hours following the collision, the memo states. No other people or vehicles were involved in the crash.
