Washougal man remains in critical condition after crash

The surviving passenger in a crash that killed the driver remained at the hospital in critical condition Thursday night.

Leland Bedell, 65, of Washougal, was hurt when the truck he rode in slammed head-on into a tree Tuesday afternoon near the border between Clark and Skamania counties.

The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash, on Northeast Washougal River Road near Malfait Tracks Road, the sheriff’s office said.

The crash killed the driver, whom the sheriff’s office had yet to identify pending notification of next of kin.

A medical emergency may have contributed to the crash, the sheriff’s office has said, and witnesses reportedly saw the truck pull over to let traffic pass before it sped back up and passed the other cars before going off the road.