A 22-year-old driver died in a single vehicle crash on Gales Creek Road between David Hill Road and Roderick Road on Friday, Oct. 24, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said in an email to News in the Grove.
According to Washington County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Corporal David Huey, the driver, described only as a 22-year-old male, died at the scene.
Huey said speed and hydroplaning were noted by eyewitnesses in a report from a responding deputy.
The driver was the only occupant of the vehicle, and was not believed to be a local resident, Huey said.
"We are not releasing his name due to the difficulty in finding next of kin," Huey said Oct. 29.
The spot where the vehicle crashed is well known to local residents as a dangerous intersection at times of heavy rain, which was happening at the time of the crash. Water runs off David Hill Road and onto Gales Creek Road, leaving a heavier amount of water there.
Water runs down David Hill Road after a similar crash on September 17, 2019. Video: Chas Hundley
The area is historically referred to as Rippling Waters, named after a former private park and swimming area as well as a short-lived county park there.
"I spoke with a [Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team] member who assisted in the investigation and described significant rain during the time of the crash," Huey said.
Gales Creek resident Chris Huson came upon the scene shortly after the crash and before first responders arrived. In a message to News in the Grove, Huson said two other people at the scene told him they witnessed the driver hit the water, hydroplane, and strike a tree.
"Myself and two others were there with him when he died," he said.
"I really feel for his family. He seemed to be just a kid," he added.
The road was closed for several hours while emergency crews from Forest Grove Fire & Rescue worked and then law enforcement investigated the scene.
