Teen driver suspected of DUI crashes into Olympia salmon ladder, police say
A 16-year-old driver crashed into the salmon ladder by the Fifth Avenue dam Saturday night.
The driver allegedly lost control of their vehicle at about 11:15 p.m. as they were traveling east from Deschutes Parkway Southwest onto Fifth Avenue, near Heritage Park. The vehicle crashed into a guardrail, ricocheted off and went through another rail into the salmon ladder, Olympia police Lt. Paul Lower told The Olympian Monday.
The vehicle, a 2005 Toyota Camry sedan, appeared to be hanging off a ledge just before a walking bridge. City crews, in collaboration with state agencies, removed it Monday morning, Lower said.
There were four juveniles in the car, the driver and three passengers. All of them managed to exit the vehicle and none were seriously injured, Lower said. One passenger was treated at the scene for reported rib pain, he added.
Officers arrested the driver on suspicion of driving under the influence, Lower said.
This story was originally published November 25, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
