Body of WA state trooper who died of COVID-19 moved to Lakewood
The body of a Washington State Patrol trooper who died of COVID-19 was moved Monday to a Lakewood funeral home.
Eric Gunderson, 38, died Sunday at a Portland hospital. A procession with dozens of law enforcement vehicles transported him up Interstate 5 to Lakewood on Monday afternoon. Several fire agencies set up ladder trucks on I-5 overpasses in his honor.
“Eric Gunderson was a respected trooper and public servant,” WSP Chief John Batiste said in a statement.
Gunderson worked 16 years for the State Patrol as the technology liaison officer with the Criminal Investigation Division, and later as a detective specializing in accident reconstruction using drones. He was also a member of the WSP’s Special Weapons and Tactics team.
His expertise in technology and unmanned aerial vehicles meant he often traveled the country lecturing and demonstrating his methods for other law enforcement agencies.
Gunderson also received accolades for shortening the time of road closures during collision investigations and was well-known for his work after the 2017 Amtrak passenger train derailment in DuPont killed three people and injured 68.
In that case, he used drones to start mapping the wreckage even while rescuers were still getting survivors off the train and created a three-dimensional view of the accident scene in a day and a half.
“His work, leadership and technological knowledge meant he turned the Amtrak derailment around in a matter of hours instead of days, saving millions to the local economy,” WSP spokesman Chris Loftis said. “We hold him in the highest regard, and he was well-respected across the country.”
It was on one of his work trips lecturing about drones and unmanned aerial vehicles that he contracted COVID and fell ill, the agency said.
Details on when and where Gunderson caught COVID, whether he was vaccinated, if he had any underlying medical conditions and whether he tested positive for the virus after returning home have not been released.
Some of the information is privileged due to medical reasons, and WSP officials said other details will be released at a later time.
“Today is the day to navigate the loss of a husband, father, friend and colleague,” Loftis said. “There will be a day in the future, whether it’s a week or months from now, when we can and should discuss the political landscape and logistics of this tragic event.”
Gunderson is survived by his wife Kameron and sons Blake, 13, and Braden, 10. Plans for his memorial are underway.
This story was originally published September 27, 2021 at 3:30 PM.
