Washington State Patrol troopers are investigating the cause of a single-vehicle crash on state Highway 500 that ignited a vehicle with its driver inside.
Vancouver police, firefighters and medics were dispatched at 7:21 a.m. to westbound Highway 500, near the exit to St. Johns Boulevard.
A dispatcher told emergency responders en route that a passerby reported seeing flames under the wrecked vehicle and someone inside, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.
The first responder to arrive at the crash scene said the vehicle was smoking, and the driver would need to be extricated from the car. Firefighters deployed a water hose and doused the vehicle, and the occupant was safely removed, according to the scanner.
A state patrol press memo says 50-year-old Dwayne Wallace of Vancouver was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center for treatment of unspecified injuries.
According to the memo, Wallace was westbound on Highway 500, behind the wheel of a silver Acura RL sedan, when he left the roadway to the right and continued about 200 yards before striking the base of the St. Johns exit sign.
The Acura was totaled and towed away.
What caused the crash remains under investigation, troopers said. It is unknown if drugs or alcohol were a factor, they said.
Wallace faces allegations of second-degree negligent driving and third-degree driving with a suspended license, according to the memo.
The Vancouver Fire Department and state patrol did not respond to requests for more information.
