by Sequim Gazette staff

A Port Angeles man died after an early morning rollover Thursday morning, Sept. 8, west of Mattson Road off Old Olympic Highway.

A Clallam County Sheriff’s Sgt. came across the single vehicle rollover accident in an open field at 2:36 a.m. Sgt. John Hollis said it did not appear the accident occurred long before he got there.

The driver, Nathan Ruffcorn, 29, was found trapped inside of the overturned car, Hollis said.

Peter Loeb, public information officer with Clallam County Fire District 3, said units reached the scene at 2:48 a.m. and medics found Ruffcorn conscious but badly injured in the heavily-damaged Honda Accord, which was on its roof 50 feet from the highway.

Emergency crews used “the jaws of life” to pry Ruffcorn out of the car, Loeb said.

Medics weren’t able to stabilize Ruffcorn following the extrication.

“We deeply regret the patient outcome,” Loeb said. “We tried our hardest and will always do so.”

Ruffcorn was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:15 a.m. Medics present at the scene indicated severe head trauma was the leading factor in the cause of death. The incident is under investigation by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit.