Deputy injured in Washougal River Road crash in ‘serious but stable’ condition

A Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputy involved in a vehicle crash on Washougal River Road Wednesday morning is reportedly in “serious but stable” condition.

Drew Kennison, a 14-year veteran of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, was injured Wednesday morning in a vehicle crash on Washougal River Road near Salmon Falls in Skamania County after a snow-laden tree fell on his vehicle.

Kennison was listed in critical condition on Wednesday evening, but Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) reported Thursday that the deputy had been upgraded to serious but stable condition and remained in a Portland hospital with family and friends by his side.

CCSO said Kennison was returning from training around 10 a.m. Wednesday when the upper portion of a snow-laden tree broke off and fell on the deputy’s vehicle.

“The portion of the tree that fell was significant in size,” CCSO stated in a news release. “It appears to have struck the vehicle where the windshield meets the hood. The vehicle then came to rest just off the roadway against another tree.”

Several other law enforcement officers traveling with the deputy at the time of the crash were able to provide first aid, according to CCSO. In addition, a local public works crew in the area was able to remove the tree before fire and emergency medical responders arrived at the scene.

First-responders from the Camas-Washougal Fire Department, Vancouver Fire Department, East County Fire and Rescue and Skamania Fire assisted with extricating the deputy from his vehicle and transporting him to a local trauma center, where he underwent surgery before being transferred again to a hospital in Portland.

CCSO stated Wednesday evening that Kennison had suffered “significant injuries, especially to his lower extremities.”

“The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all those that responded and helped in any way,” CCSO added.

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