Clark County Sheriff’s Office IDs two men who died in Lucia Falls Road crash Tuesday

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office has released the names of two people who died Tuesday when a pickup went off Northeast Lucia Falls Road and crashed into a tree.

James E. Jones, 45, of Battle Ground and passenger Collan C. Riley, 26, of Vancouver were believed to be driving west on the two-lane road when the Ford F-150 Jones was driving went off the pavement and onto the right shoulder, according to a sheriff’s office press release.

It appears Jones tried to steer the pickup back onto the pavement but lost control of the vehicle, which then slid across the roadway and struck a small embankment on the opposite side of the road. This caused the vehicle to roll up onto its side, and the pickup crashed roof-first into the tree, according to the sheriff’s office.

Both Jones and Rilley were pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said. Family members said they believed the two were returning from riding bicycles at Moulton Falls Park.

The pickup was believed to be going 50 mph in a 40 mph zone at the time of the crash, according to the sheriff’s office.

Traffic investigators also looked into reports that an UTV off-road vehicle coming the opposite direction might have blinded Jones with bright LED floodlights, causing him to drive off the road, but they found no evidence in surveillance videos from neighboring homes that the UTV’s floodlights had been activated, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office noted, however, that it is illegal to drive UTV off-road vehicles on public roadways.

The crash remains under investigation.