Man driving stolen moving truck killed in 3-vehicle collision west of Purdy, troopers say

A man driving a stolen moving truck Friday morning on state Route 302 was killed in a collision with two cars west of Purdy, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The collision occurred at about 8 a.m. near Gateway Park, trooper Robert Reyer said. The driver killed in the incident has not been publicly identified. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The occupants of the other vehicles were not injured. Reyer said their vehicles took only glancing impacts.

The state highway was blocked to traffic in both directions. Cars were being diverted to 94th Avenue Northwest and 118th Avenue Northwest.

Reyer said the truck driver was traveling west in a Penske truck when he crossed into oncoming traffic, struck two cars and flipped the vehicle onto its side. He said the man wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was ejected. The trooper didn’t have information on where the truck was stolen from, but he said it appeared to be transporting stolen property.

It’s unclear what caused the driver to veer into oncoming traffic, Reyer said. Troopers, detectives and collision specialists were still investigating.