Thurston County sheriff released from hospital after two-car crash near Yelm on Sunday

Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders was released from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in satisfactory condition late Sunday night after being involved in a two-vehicle collision near Yelm.

The other person involved, a 29-year-old Yelm man, was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence while the incident is being investigated. He was scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon.

According to previous reporting from The Olympian, the collision happened about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 2. Sanders was driving his department vehicle south on Lawrence Lake Road Southeast when a pickup truck traveling east on 153rd Avenue Southeast pulled in front of him, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Sanders was airlifted to Harborview for his injuries, although he was listed in satisfactory condition at the time. The Yelm pickup truck driver was not injured.

The crash is being investigated by Washington State Patrol.

Sanders was elected last November, defeating incumbent Sheriff John Snaza.

This story was originally published April 3, 2023 at 7:41 AM.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

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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