Bellingham man dies after car crashes into Whatcom utility pole Monday morning
A Bellingham man died in a fatal single-car crash Monday morning, Aug. 9, after his vehicle hit a utility pole near the intersection of South Pass and Kendall roads in Whatcom County, the Washington State Patrol is reporting.
Gerald R. Caron, 32, died in the crash, according to a State Patrol release on the crash, after the silver 2021 Toyota Camry he was driving failed to negotiate a turn, left the roadway and struck the power pole.
Speed was the cause of the single-vehicle crash, according to the report, which added that Carson was not wearing his seat belt at the time. It was unknown if drugs are alcohol were involved in the crash, the report stated.
“Troopers on scene of a one vehicle versus utility pole collision on SR 547 and Pass Rd near Sumas,” Trooper Rocky Oliphant tweeted at 7:32 a.m. “Unfortunately the driver of the vehicle has passed away. Expect closures in the area while we investigate. Currently fully blocking.”
Whatcom County Fire District 14 crews were called to the scene at approximately 5:43 a.m., according to the PulsePoint app.
Northbound and southbound traffic was alternating, according to tweet from the Washington State Department of Transportation at 7:22 a.m. A follow-up tweet at 9:53 a.m. said the incident had been cleared.
Oliphant told The Herald that PSE had to be called to shut down power on the downed lines before the driver could be removed from the car.
As of 6:20 a.m., Puget Sound Energy reported only two customers in the area had been impacted, and power was estimated to be restored by 8:30 a.m.
According to the WSDOT Crash Data Portal, Monday’s incident would be the sixth fatal crash and the eighth death on Whatcom County roadways this year. In 2020 there were eight fatal crashes resulting in eight deaths.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 7:44 AM.
CORRECTION: Spelling of Gerald R. Caron’s name corrected Aug. 10, 2021.
