Poulsbo man dies in Totten Rd. crash

SUQUAMISH — A Poulsbo man died and two others were injured after the car they were riding in sheared off a power pole and rolled down an embankment on Totten Rd. at about 10:40 p.m. Saturday. They were traveling at a high rate of speed, a Kitsap County Sheriff’s report stated.

The back seat passenger Joseph J. Lanning, 19, died at the scene of the crash. Lanning and Perry T. Dieckmann, 17, of Suquamish were riding in the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier, which was driven by Kevin M. Phillips, 20, of Bangor Naval Submarine Base.

Dieckmann, who was riding in the front passenger seat, was unconscious at the scene according to North Kitsap Fire & Rescue reports. He was airlifted to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center with head injuries and remains in serious condition. Phillips, the car’s driver, sustained chest and shoulder injuries and was also airlifted to Harborview. He has since been released from the hospital.

NKF&R crews were called to the scene after area residents reported hearing the crash. All three men were removed from the car using hydraulic extrication tools to cut open the vehicle.

The car was traveling northbound on Totten Road near the intersection with Ditto Lane when the driver going at a high rate of speed lost control of the car.

Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash, according to the sheriff’s report. All three men were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash.

Traffic was re-routed onto Suquamish Way while officers collected evidence and removed the car from the scene. The accident is still under investigation by the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office.

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