CAMANO ISLAND — A local firefighter and father of three was killed Wednesday night after his truck crashed on Camano Island.
Matthew J. Roodzant, 37, of Camano Island, was off-duty when his pickup went through a guardrail and struck a tree, according to a Washington State Patrol memo.
The crash was reported about 10:30 p.m., roughly five miles west of Stanwood. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Roodzant was westbound on Cross Island Road when he apparently failed to stop at NW Camano Drive, according to the State Patrol.
Roodzant was taken to a local hospital where he died. His passenger, a Camano Island man, 35, was uninjured.
Roodzant had been a firefighter with Woodinville Fire &Rescue since July 1998, Interim Fire Chief Mark Chubb said in a news release.
Roodzant had been scheduled to work Wednesday night but traded part of his shift with a colleague so he could go with one of his children on a field trip, Chubb said.
Roodzant’s colleagues are shaken and saddened, Chubb said.
“Matt was well-known to his colleagues inside and outside the fire district as a skilled and compassionate firefighter who cared deeply about our citizens’ welfare,” Chubb said. “We are making every effort to see that his family and colleagues are treated as well as he treated the people he served.”
Roodzant is survived by his wife of 15 years, Johanna. The couple have three children, all of whom are under 10.
The fire district expects to release further information once memorial arrangements are made.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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