Stephen Michael Gallagher Jr.
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Stephen Michael Gallagher Jr.

Veteran → Accident
End of Watch August 18, 2009
Age 34
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
The Vigil Panel 158 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Mike Gallagher succumbed to injuries sustained the previous night when his patrol car collided with an elk on Highway 12 near mile marker 30.

He was responding to back up another deputy at the scene of a domestic disturbance when the collision occurred near Packwood at approximately 8:30 pm. After striking the elk, his patrol car ran into a storage shed and then into a utility pole. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Deputy Gallagher was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Lewis County Sheriff's Office for six years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and two young children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-WA-42C854C8
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Stephen is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Sheriff Gallagher gave the Lewis County Sheriff's Office 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chehalis community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Chehalis, Lewis County, WA
Platform Identity lcso.lewis.wa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 18, 2009
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 34
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Cause Detail Automobile crash

Military Service

Stephen Michael Gallagher Jr. served in the U.S. Army (1994–2002) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Deputy Sheriff Stephen Michael Gallagher Jr. is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In WA, 111 of 340 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.6% of this state's fallen. That is 32.6 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Lewis County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 40% of this agency's fallen.

Lewis County Sheriff's Office
2
of 5 officers
40% Accident
WA — Statewide
111
of 340 officers
32.6% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Stephen Michael Gallagher Jr.'s cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Stephen Michael Gallagher Jr. Compares

Age at Death
34
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
6
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Stephen Michael Gallagher Jr. is highlighted in Aug.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Military Service

Stephen Michael Gallagher Jr. served in the U.S. Army (1994–2002) before joining law enforcement.

Visit Stephen Michael Gallagher Jr.’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.