Pasco city employee found dead in late night rural crash

A 37-year-old mechanic for the city of Pasco was found dead near his crashed pickup truck Wednesday night along the Pasco-Kahlotus highway.

Ryan Stensland appeared to be traveling between work and home when he veered off the rural highway and rolled his truck, according to police reports.

A passerby spotted the wreck in the field near Jake Road about 10 miles northeast of Pasco shortly after 9:30 p.m. and called 911.

It’s not clear at this point what caused him to go off of the road, or why he died. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday, said Franklin County Coroner Curtis McGary.

It appears he wasn’t wearing his seat belt, said Commander Rick Rochleau with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies were at the scene for several hours investigating the crash. There was some fog in the area at the time, officials said.

According to LinkedIn, Stensland worked for the city of Pasco as a maintenance mechanic since 2016.

John Millan, the deputy public works director, said Ryan’s story was remarkable. He was one of the city’s most talented and skilled workers, who had a positive attitude and had a deep commitment to the city.

When he wasn’t at work, he was committed to his family.

“As a new manager, Ryan was the first person I hired,” Millan said. “Ryan was the type of public sector worker who proved himself beyond all expectations, becoming part of a standard from which we compared all future candidates. This is tragic and we’re all devastated.”

This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 9:59 AM.