A Vancouver man died Sunday after his car veered off State Route 500 near Northeast Andresen Road, with investigators saying speed played a role in the crash. The driver was identified as 51-year-old Matthew G. Burnell. Emergency crews shut down the westbound lanes while they worked the scene, then took Burnell to a hospital, where he later died, according to authorities.
As reported by The Columbian, a Washington State Patrol crash memo states that Burnell was driving a 2012 Infiniti G37 sedan west on SR 500 near the NE Andresen Road overpass when the car left the roadway. The memo notes he was traveling “too fast for conditions” and that investigators have not yet determined whether drugs or alcohol were involved. Burnell was transported to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, where he later died, according to the report.
Crash-prone corridor
According to the City of Vancouver’s Local Road Safety Plan, the stretch of SR 500 around Andresen has already been flagged as a high-crash segment. Portions of NE Andresen Road rank among the top crash-weighted intersections and roadway segments for the 2020 to 2024 period, highlighting ongoing safety issues on the city’s east-west arterials. Planners point to a familiar recipe of higher speeds, commuter traffic and limited crossing points that continues to cause problems and that has become a target for both quick fixes and long-term engineering work.
Safety work under way
WSDOT and local officials are already pushing a series of projects along SR 500, including new pedestrian overcrossings and intersection improvements intended to cut down on serious run-off-the-road crashes. Transportation planners say the strategy hinges on combining design changes with stepped-up enforcement and public education to address chronic trouble spots. Recent planning documents note that residents have repeatedly raised concerns about speeding and safe ways to cross this busy corridor…