Toledo man, 48, dies in Interstate 5 crash on July 3

A Toledo man died Friday in a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 5 near state Route 506, according to a press memo from the Washington State Patrol (WSP).

Victor M. Ruiz, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Lewis County Chaplaincy Services have notified next of kin.

Ruiz was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.

According to WSP, Ruiz was driving a 2026 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck and merging onto southbound I-5 from the Exit 59 on-ramp when he was struck by a 2025 Ford F-150 pickup truck that had failed to negotiate the curve while traveling southbound on the I-5 off-ramp.

The collision occurred at about 4:20 p.m. July 3.

The driver of the F-150, Mark D. Demanes, 62, and passenger, John P. Sloane, 63, both of Seattle, were transported to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview.

Both men were wearing seat belts.

WSP said charges were pending for Demanes, but indicated that no drugs or alcohol had been involved in the incident, according to the memo.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

According to the Washington state Department of Transportation, the southbound off- and on-ramps at Exit 59 reopened at about 10:30 p.m, roughly six hours after the incident.

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