PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man who died when his pickup collided with a log truck on state Highway 112 was described as generous and kind by those who knew him.
Larry Mark Grasser, 57, died at the scene of the 7:30 a.m. Friday wreck near Thompson Road, the State Patrol said.
“He was a very generous, kind, humble man of God who will be missed by a lot of people,” said Pastor Greg Reynolds of Joyce Bible Church.
The collision with a log truck was one of two wrecks on Highway 112 that morning; several were hurt in a separate wreck involving five people.
The driver of the log truck, Dwight Douglas Addleman, was traveling west on the highway and Grasser’s pickup truck pulled out from a stop on Thompson Road, said Trooper Russ Winger, State Patrol spokesman.
As Grasser entered the highway, Addleman veered to the left, the State Patrol said.
The front left of his log truck struck the driver’s side of Grasser’s pickup truck and pushed it 78 feet over the centerline; it came to rest against the guardrail, according to the State Patrol.
The pickup truck was destroyed. It was impounded.
Grasser was not wearing a seat belt, according to a news release.
Addleman, 60, was not injured and could drive away with reportable damage to his log truck, according to the report. Addleman is also from Port Angeles, Winger said. No charges were filed.
The State Patrol continues to investigate the cause of the wreck.
Grasser’s family was notified by the State Patrol and a family pastor. Grasser attended Joyce Bible Church, Reynolds confirmed.
Port Angeles resident Trisha Price said she worked with Grasser at First Federal between 2000 and 2001.
Price said he was always kind, hard-working and a “very pleasant gentleman.” She said when she later saw Grasser working at the Walmart Supercenter, he would always wave and say, “Hey, Trish!”
“Once he knew you, he always recognized you,” she said.
Likewise, Grasser’s neighbor Shannon Jon Wood said they would often run into each other at Walmart.
“He was one of my neighbors and a very nice guy,” Wood said. “In the short time I’ve known him, we’ve had good conversation. I know he will be missed.”
At 8:30 a.m., Clallam County Fire District No. 4 was dispatched to another wreck involving five people on Highway 112 near Holly Hill Road, Fire Chief Alex Baker said.
Ellora Churchill, a 51-year-old resident of Port Angeles, hit the back of a vehicle being driven westbound by 52-year-old Arizona resident Scott Bullman as he was signaling left to turn onto Holly Hill Road, Clallam County Chief Criminal Deputy Brian King said.
Bullman and his two minor children, passengers in the 2017 Ford Edge, suffered minor injuries, King said.
Churchill was cited for negligent driving, King said. Her 85-year-old father, Elliot Clark, was in the passenger seat of her Nissan Murano, King said.
Both Churchill and Clark were transported to Olympic Medical Center, where they were treated and discharged Friday, OMC spokeswoman Bobby Beeman said Friday afternoon.
The response of emergency service agencies, including Fire Districts 2 and 4, State Patrol and Olympic Ambulance, demonstrate a “great example … of the county working together for the safety of our communities,” Baker said.
