Ferndale man dead after pickup vs. semi crash near Lynden

A 37-year-old Ferndale man died instantly Monday afternoon when his speeding pickup sailed into a roundabout northeast of Lynden and the cab of the pickup sheared off under a loaded semi-truck, the Washington State Patrol said.

State patrol Sgt. Mark Francis said Cody S. Hodges was southbound on Northwood Road in a 1996 Chevrolet C25 pickup when he hit a 2013 Peterbilt truck pulling a loaded 53-foot trailer, which was westbound in the roundabout. The pickup wedged underneath the trailer.

Authorities were still investigating the 3 p.m. crash at East Badger and Northwood roads on Monday. Traffic was detoured in each direction for nearly five hours after the crash – the roads were reopened around 7:22 p.m.

“According to witnesses, (the pickup was traveling) at an extremely high rate, they said 100 mph,” Francis said. “The truck’s speedometer was stuck at 80 mph. That’s a possible indicator of his speed at impact.”

Francis said the semi driver, 53-year-old Gilles M. Limoges of Morinville, Alberta, was uninjured. Limoges was wearing a seat belt and Hodges was not, according to the crash report.

There was no indication that alcohol or drugs were involved and no charges were pending immediately, Francis said.

Monday’s wreck was the fourth traffic fatality Whatcom County in May. Three people died in a head-on Mother’s Day wreck on Mount Baker Highway.

On May 12, a Bellingham man was killed in northern Skagit County when his car crossed the median from the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 and hit a northbound driver head-on.

This story was originally published May 29, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Ferndale man dead after pickup vs. semi crash near Lynden."