James E. Jones, of Battle Ground, and Collan C. Riley, of Vancouver, were killed in the single-vehicle accident Monday morning on NE Lucia Falls Road
The identities of two men killed in a Monday traffic accident in North Clark County have been revealed by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Driver James E. Jones, a 45-year-old Battle Ground resident, and 26-year-old passenger Collan C. Riley, of Vancouver, were the victims of the single-vehicle fatality accident that occurred in the 21500 block of NE Lucia Falls Road just before noon on Monday.
According to the CCSO, the two were traveling westbound on Lucia Falls Road in a Ford F150 pickup owned and driven by Jones. Evidence at the scene indicated the vehicle’s right side tires left the north shoulder of the roadway and it appears that Jones steered in an attempt to get the truck back on the roadway. The action caused the truck to slide across the roadway where it collided with a small embankment on the south side of the roadway. The vehicle’s momentum caused the truck to pitch up onto its side, presenting its roof to a large tree on the south side of the roadway.
The speed limit on the stretch of Lucia Falls Road is 40 mph. Reconstruction of the scene and vehicle evidence indicated the truck was traveling approximately 50 mph when it lost control.
When the call of the accident came in to 9-1-1, a witness mentioned to the dispatcher that a side-by-side UTV off-road vehicle was traveling eastbound (the opposite direction of the pickup) at the time of the collision. The witness stated that the UTV had a very bright LED floodlight shining to the rear and there was some speculation that the UTV’s front LED floodlight had blinded Jones, causing him to leave the roadway. An accurate description of the UTV and it’s driver were obtained from witnesses.
CCSO deputies located the UTV in question and interviewed its driver. After examining the UTV and surveillance video from residences along Lucia Falls Road, it was determined that the UTV did have its rear LED floodlight illuminated, and no evidence that its front LED floodlight was illuminated. At this time, the UTV has not been ruled a direct contributing factor in this collision. It should be noted that UTV off-road vehicles and similar vehicles for offroad use are not legal for operation on the public roadway in Clark County.
This incident remains an active investigation, and detectives are conducting additional interviews and forensic work in order to determine the proximate cause of this collision.
According to family, Jones and Riley had likely been returning from bicycling near Moulton Falls Park.
Information provided by Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
