Voice of the Chiefs Mel Olson dies in collision
Columbia Basin Herald/file photo This picture of Mel Olson and his wife Vicki was captured in the mid-1990s in the broadcast booth at the Mat Classic State Wrestling Tournament in Tacoma.
Columbia Basin Herald/file photo Mel Olson browses through a website back in 2012 that allows users to track the miles they have logged on their bicycle.
MOSES LAKE — Mel Olson, the longtime announcer for the Moses Lake High School Chiefs, died on Tuesday following an collision on his bicycle.
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office says Olson, 89, was riding his bicycle on Airway Drive Northeast, near the Harvest Manor Estates, when he was hit by a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado pick-up Tuesday afternoon. Olson was initially transported to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake for treatment, but it remains unclear where he died.
The Sheriff’s Office reports that Olson and the pick-up’s driver, Mario Fernandez Hinojos, 46, of Moses Lake, entered an intersection at the same time and didn’t see each other. The pick-up struck the bike. Olson was wearing his helmet but received a serious head injury.
Alcohol and drugs were not listed as factors in the incident.
Olson had been the broadcaster for KBSN radio for over 50 years, calling games for the Chief’s football, basketball and wrestling programs. He gained experience on the Moses Lake sports landscape as a coach over at Chief Moses Middle School from 1958-1975, coaching his way to an impressive 140-10 record, according to a previous Columbia Basin Herald report.
“Throughout the Basin and yesterday he was deservingly honored by the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame when he was inducted to the hall at the awards luncheon and induction ceremony at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Olson has left his mark on the state’s wrestling community and Moses Lake and his legacy will continue on through prep sports for years to come,” reads a CBH article from 2013.
Olson, a Korean War veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart, was a prolific bicycle rider and could regularly be seen powering his way through Moses Lake on a bicycle.
“Olson is an avid user on www.bikejournal.com, a website that allows registered users to log miles they’ve accrued riding their bicycle and compare their statistics against other users,” reads a CBH article from 2012.
“In 2011, Olson logged 17,088 miles for the year. It was his first time breaking 17,000 miles,” the article continues.
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office Motor Traffic Unit is investigating the incident involving Olson and has not indicated who was at fault. As of Wednesday, there were no charges.