LITTLE BOSTON — A man driving an SUV Sept. 9 was killed when his vehicle left a section of Little Boston Road near Hood Canal Drive and crashed into some trees.
Matthew R. Wheaton, 31, of Kingston and formerly of Seattle, was pronounced dead at the scene. Kitsap County Coroner Greg Sandstrom announced the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. A toxicology report has not been released.
Kitsap County Sheriff’s traffic deputies are investigating the crash at the request of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Department of Public Safety.
The crash occurred about 11:46 a.m. on the 33000 block of Little Boston Road NE, between Hood Canal Drive NE and NE Cliffside Road, on the Port Gamble S’Klallam Reservation. Emergency crews from North Kitsap Fire & Rescue arrived at 11:54 a.m. Tribal police arrived at 11:55 a.m. and sheriff’s patrol deputies arrived at 12:33 p.m., sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Scott Wilson said.
Upon arrival, emergency crews found the vehicle — an older model sport utility vehicle — off of the roadway, upright, but severely damaged.
A preliminary analysis by traffic investigators indicates that the SUV was traveling northbound on Little Boston Road when it left the paved roadway to the east and struck several trees before its momentum was stopped, Wilson said. A major impact point on the SUV was at the driver’s door.
The male driver — the sole occupant of the vehicle — was found partially ejected from the SUV through the right front passenger door window, Wilson said.
“Excessive vehicle speed appears to be a causing factor in the crash,” Wilson said. “The driver was not using safety restraints at the time of the crash.”
The Sheriff’s Department asks that persons with information about this crash contact Deputy Rick Cowell, sheriff’s traffic unit, at (360) 337-4634.
