State Patrol identifies Whatcom driver killed on Pole Road in ‘heartbreaking weekend’
The Washington State Patrol on Monday morning released the name of the 21-year-old Blaine man killed in a single-car crash along East Pole Road late Saturday.
Unfortunately, the State Patrol still doesn’t have an answer as to why the crash occurred, Trooper Heather Axtman told The Bellingham Herald Monday.
Liam T. Lyons was driving a 2014 Toyota Prius eastbound on Highway 544 near milepost 1 south of Lynden at approximately 11:28 p.m. Sept. 26 when he drove off the roadway and collided with a tree, according to a State Patrol release on the crash. Lyons was declared dead at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation, according to the release, though Lyons was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Drugs or alcohol have been ruled out as a contributing factor in the crash, Axtman said.
“It’s unknown the reason why he left the road,” Axtman said. “We don’t know if he fell asleep, or what, because there were no signs of braking. It’s a sad one, and we don’t have answers for his family.”
Lyons’ death was the sixth on Whatcom County roadways so far in 2020, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Crash Portal — far below the pace of last year, when the county saw 16 deaths.
“It’s still six too many,” Axtman said.
On top of that, the fatal crash also was the second involving a Whatcom County resident on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Bellingham resident Collin Coleman, 25, was killed while riding a motorcycle northbound along Chuckanut Drive in Skagit County. Coleman crossed the center line at approximately 8:22 a.m. and was thrown off the motorcycle and into the southbound lane, according to the release on that crash, before he was struck by an oncoming pickup.
The report says that the cause was Coleman driving too fast for the conditions.
“A heartbreaking weekend for two families up there and multiple people,” Axtman said.
With a week full of sun forecast, Axtman called on all drivers in the area to remain vigilant to prevent the string of bad luck from continuing.
“It might be the last week we have this kind of weather, so we’re strongly encouraging people to drive and motorcyclists to ride safe,” Axtman said. “The motorcyclists will be out this week, and if you are a motorcyclist, watch your speed. Other drivers need to remain alert so we can all enjoy this nice weather.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2020 at 8:38 AM.
