Camas teenager in critical condition after crash

Garrick R. Dahlen, 16, of Camas was in critical condition at Southwest Washington Medical Center on Sunday night with injuries suffered in an early Saturday accident.

He was in the intensive care unit with head trauma, a hospital official said.

A Clark County sheriff’s report said Dahlen drove off Northeast Stauffer Road and slammed into a utility pole.

Firefighters with East County Fire and Rescue responded at 5:30 a.m. to the site of the crash on Stauffer Road at 302nd Avenue, near the Little Washougal River, according to the sheriff’s report.

He was driving a 1989 Volkswagen and was extricated and flown by Life Flight helicopter to Southwest. He was alone in the car.

“Initial findings indicate the juvenile driver was traveling westbound on Stauffer Road when he failed to navigate a curve at 302nd Avenue and left the roadway before colliding with a utility pole,” the sheriff’s report said. “At this time, it appears speed and alcohol were contributing factors in this collision.”

The teenager had left a party at 4 a.m., according to the report.