Crime

100 mph-chase leaves 1 trapped in Highway 240 crash

An Interstate 182 off-ramp was closed for a few hours Thursday after a driver crashed trying to outrun a state trooper. The officer tried to pull him over for not wearing a seat belt.

The crash after the high-speed chase on Richland’s bypass highway closed the westbound Interstate 182 ramp for much of the morning.

The Washington State Patrol trooper stopped the beige Mitsubishi Mirage near the intersection with Van Giesen Street shortly before 8:30 a.m. after seeing the driver, Clair H. Doyle, 46, of West Richland, wasn’t wearing a seat belt, said Trooper Chris Thorson.

An investigator from the Washington State Patrol documents the scene of Thursday morning’s crash of a fleeing vehicle at the ramp to westbound Interstate 182 from Highway 240 in Richland. The injured driver was briefly trapped in the car that landed upside down off the roadway.
An investigator from the Washington State Patrol documents the scene of Thursday morning’s crash of a fleeing vehicle at the ramp to westbound Interstate 182 from Highway 240 in Richland. The injured driver was briefly trapped in the car that landed upside down off the roadway. Bob Brawdy Tri-City Herald

When the trooper approached the car, Doyle sped away, hitting another vehicle on the way.

The trooper was joined by Richland police as the chase reached 80 to 100 mph. Along the way, the officers learned Doyle has a felony warrant for his arrest.

Doyle lost control of the car when he tried passing on the shoulder near the westbound off-ramp to the interstate. The Mitsubishi flipped trapping him inside.

Police and fire officials talk with a woman passenger after Thursday’s rollover wreck near Interstate 182 and Highway 240 in Richland after the driver tried to outrun police.
Police and fire officials talk with a woman passenger after Thursday’s rollover wreck near Interstate 182 and Highway 240 in Richland after the driver tried to outrun police. Bob Brawdy Tri-City Herald

Firefighters freed Doyle and took him to Kadlec Regional Medical Center.

His passenger, Jennifer A. Singrey, 40, of West Richland, was not hurt.

His condition wasn’t available nor had he been booked into the jail as of 5 p.m. Thursday, according to online jail records.

Thorson said Doyle is facing several felony charges as a result of Thursday’s chase.

This story was originally published January 3, 2019 at 8:49 AM.

CP
Cameron Probert
Tri-City Herald
Cameron Probert covers breaking news for the Tri-City Herald, where he tries to answer reader questions about why police officers and firefighters are in your neighborhood. He studied communications at Washington State University.https://mycheckout.tri-cityherald.com/subscribe?ofrgp_id=394&g2i_or_o=Event&g2i_or_p=Reporter&cid=news_cta_0.99-1mo-15.99-on-article_202404
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