Pickup careens into tree north of Ridgefield

Paramedics rushed a Vancouver man to the hospital after he allegedly fell asleep at the wheel and his pickup slammed into a tree north of Ridgefield on Monday afternoon.

The driver, Jesse Kinsey, 33, was released from the hospital that evening.

Clark County Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Tim Dawdy said that Kinsey was driving north when his truck left the road at a high speed and crashed into a tree. The crash was reported around 4:15 p.m. near Northwest 31st Avenue and Northwest 289th Street.

Upon hitting the tree, the pickup spun around. The force of impact caused both of the truck’s air bags to deploy and severely damaged the pickup’s cab, Dawdy said.

The driver was able to climb out of the truck before paramedics found him, Dawdy said.

The crash bent the truck’s steering wheel and likely transferred a lot of force to the driver, Dawdy said, so Kinsey was taken by ambulance, with lights and sirens blaring, to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.

“He nailed the tree square,” Dawdy said.

No one else was in the pickup.

Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Marek said Kinsey told deputies he fell asleep.

Marek said Kinsey was cited for negligent driving and driving without insurance.