Orondo Firefighter Plays Role of Both Witness and Incident Commander in Highway 97 Crash Wednesday

A one vehicle rollover accident on State Route 97 north of Daroga State Park around 9:45 Wednesday morning closed the highway for just over two hours.

Douglas County Fire District 4 Information Officer Karen Sargeant said Orondo firefighter Scott Carter, who ended up being the Incident Commander, observed a 2000 Subaru Legacy driving northbound erratically and at a high rate of speed. The vehicle traveled off of the roadway on several occasions before eventually rolling multiple times and coming to rest on the side of the highway.

"So (Scott Carter) pulled up near the scene and ran over to the vehicle. The guy was trying to get out." detailed Sargeant, "Scott ended up breaking the window. At the same time he broke the window, he noticed that the vehicle was starting to catch on fire."

The unidentified driver was pulled to safety by Carter. There were no other occupants in the Subaru. The car eventually became fully engulfed.

The driver was transported to Central Washington Hospital with unknown injuries. According to the Washington State Patrol, the Subaru had been reported as stolen, and the incident is under investigation.