Victim Of Truck Collision Remains Unidentified
Helen Doe was a passenger in a truck that caught fire in 1991.
On May 14, 1991, a truck carrying paper stopped on Interstate 5 near Kalama, Cowlitz County, Washington, due to a traffic backup. A tractor-trailer, consisting of a driver and one passenger, did not stop in time and rear-ended the truck.
Even though passerby tried to help the victims of the collision, fuel tanks erupted and caused a fire. The truck driver managed to escape with only bruises and cuts. Sadly, the driver and passenger of the tractor-trailer died in the blaze.
The driver was identified as Lester Dean Harvel. The 26-year-old lived in Missouri with his girlfriend and baby daughter.
The passenger, however, has never been identified.
The unidentified woman was not an authorized passenger. She may have been a hitchhiker — Lester was known to pick up people and help them. Lester’s route was traced using his fuel receipts. He left Missouri on May 7 and drove through Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and Oregon. He arrived in Washington on the day of the accident. After dropping off his cargo, he headed to Portland.
