Garbage truck driver dies in river crash

Emergency crews recovered the body of a Waste Management truck driver Monday on Highway 206 near Madison Road in north Spokane. The garbage truck overturned and landed partially submerged in Deadman Creek.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Nicholas Hopper said it is unclear whether the driver died during the crash or drowned afterward.

Surapol Pattarnon, 47, was traveling eastbound on the highway about 9 a.m. when he drove off the road and slid into the ditch and creek, where the truck landed on its right side. It’s unclear what happened to cause the truck to leave the roadway. Pattarnon was not wearing a seat belt.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office responded with a diver when the crash was discovered, but Pattarnon was already dead.

Crash victim dies

A man involved in a Thursday crash on the South Hill has died.

The man, identified as Eric M. Johnson, 25, died at a local hospital after being taken off life support, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan.

“Johnson was driving a 1998 Toyota Corolla on Thursday morning when it was struck broadside by a Ford Explorer driven by 54-year-old Gladys Jane McIntyre of Castlegar, British Columbia,” Reagan said.

McIntyre suffered only minor injuries in the crash.

Deputies think McIntyre failed to obey a stop sign, which led to the collision, Reagan said. The crash remains under investigation.

Storm hits region

A thunderstorm that brought nearly an inch of rain to the area blew through Spokane County and eastern Lincoln County on Monday, dropping hail in some places that coated road embankments like an early winter’s wet snow.

Hail-covered roadways near Reardan, Wash., and standing water caused minor traffic delays around the region, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Several hundred people were without power after the storm, but service was slowly being restored, Avista officials said.

From staff reports