BELLINGHAM - A Ferndale man died in a rollover crash early Tuesday, Jan. 22, after he was ejected through the shattered moonroof of his SUV and crushed beneath the vehicle, state troopers said.
The 52-year-old driver, Salvador Hueso-Davila, was headed north around a bend in the 6500 block of Portal Way, just east of the Interstate 5 overpass, when the car went off the icy road at 6:55 a.m., said Washington State Patrol Trooper Mark Francis. The 1994 Ford Explorer rolled at least once and came to rest on the driver's side, in a shallow ditch full of dry brown leaves and blackberry bushes.
A passing driver called 911 to report the overturned SUV - still warm but with no obvious sign of anyone around, Francis said. Ferndale police arrived to find the driver pinned beneath the car, hidden from view, about 100 feet from the road.
Hueso-Davila was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shards of glass from the moonroof were strewn near the edge of the ditch. Troopers believe Hueso-Davila, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown through the hole in the roof. No other windows were broken and all four doors were shut. The Explorer sustained minor damage: some crumpling near the right headlight, a broken side mirror and some tires dislodged from their wheels.
Portal Way was slick with patches of ice at the time of the crash. It's possible Hueso-Davila was driving too fast for conditions, Francis said, but the official cause remained under investigation Tuesday. Drugs and alcohol are not believed to be involved.
Police believe Hueso-Davila was commuting to work at Montigo, a fireplace manufacturer on Salashan Parkway.
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