A Christmas Day rescue operation on Highway 101 near Shaker Church Road turned perilous when a large tree nearly struck a Thurston County deputy. Sheriff Sanders reported that deputies, alongside Washington State Patrol and Griffin Fire responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash that had sent the vehicle down an embankment.
While deputies and medics were 20 feet into the ravine providing medical assistance, the tree fell, narrowly missing a deputy, Sheriff Sanders said. The driver of the vehicle was evaluated at the scene and found not to be impaired. The driver was then transported to the hospital in stable condition.
