Former “Ax Men” star Gabe Rygaard was killed in a car crash involving three vehicles outside of Port Angeles, Washington on Friday. He was 45.
According to local paper Peninsula Daily News, Rygaard’s father confirmed the news that his son was involved in the wreck on the U.S. Highway 101. Clallam Fire District No. 2 Assistant Chief Dan Huff also told the paper that Rygaard died in the hospital as a result of the injuries.
Six passengers from the two other cards sustained minor injuries, which were all treated at the scene.
Rygaard’s Ford Bronco was apparently driving behind a black Chevrolet Tahoe. When the Tahoe was slowing to a stop, Rygaard veered the car to the left and struck the rear of the other car. The Bronco rotated and hit a Dodge Ram van which was traveling the other way.
According to State Patrol, Rygaard was not wearing a seat belt.
A representative from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the tragedy.
Rygaard starred in History Channel’s “Ax Men,” a show that premiered in 2008. The show follows the work of logging crews in the second-growth forests of Northwestern Oregon, Washington and Montana and the rivers of Louisiana and Florida.
Rygaard joined the show in its second season as the new owner of Rygaard Logging, a business founded by his father in 1992.