Washington County Sheriff's Office deputy dies in scooter crash in Aloha

A Washington County Sheriff's Office corrections deputy died Wednesday afternoon after the motorized scooter he was riding collided with a car, the sheriff's office reported.

Richard Thompson was returning home shortly after 5 p.m. when a car traveling east on West Baseline Road turned right at the southwest intersection of 201st Avenue in Aloha, sheriff's officials said Thursday.

Thompson was also heading east on his electric scooter and struck the rear passenger door of the turning car, the sheriff said at a news conference.

People nearby when the crash happened — then sheriff's deputies and first responders — tried to save Thompson, but the husband and father of two died at the scene, the sheriff's office reported.

Linn Eaton, a resident of Amber Court Apartments, said he was outside when he saw Thompson riding the scooter with a helmet and a car hitting him.

A nurse who lived nearby performed CPR on Thompson until help arrived, Eaton said.

Thompson, an avid outdoorsman and fisherman, had worked with the Washington County Sheriff's Office since 2001 and was most recently assigned to the court security unit.

Thompson was part of a program that allowed inmates to work weekends outside the prison and received a service award in 2018 for catching a man who was about to jump from a two-story house while he was on a mission.

“Rich took a great risk by grabbing the adult in custody and belittling him,” Massey said. “He didn’t think twice before making this honorable decision.”

The Washington County Interagency Crash Analysis and Reconstruction Team, led by the Forest Grove Police Department, is investigating the crash.

— David Nuñez covers breaking news and public safety for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Contact him at 503-294-7607 or [email protected].

– Sujena Soumyanath is a reporter on The Oregonian/OregonLive's public safety team. You can reach her at 503-221-4309 or [email protected]

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