White Center Now: The blog about White Center

ORIGINAL 12:34 AM REPORT: If you have to take Highway 509 this early morning, a traffic alert in Burien: A major crash has closed 509 both ways at South 128th (map), and it’s still closed right now (12:33 am) – that’s all we know, but we wanted to share the traffic alert. 1:31 AM UPDATE: KIRO TV reports one person has died because of the crash. 5:53 AM UPDATE: The highway is now open again. The State Patrol confirms one death, a Federal Way man – read ahead for their account of what happened:

In the late night hours of October 18, 2010, Washington State Patrol 911 dispatchers received a frantic phone call initially reporting a wrong-way driver, then a head-on collision, and ended with the ambulance colliding with a pedestrian thrown between several other vehicles.

At 11:53 pm an on-duty Tri-Med ambulance driver made the initial 911 call on his cell phone to report a silver Subaru had turned around and began traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of State Route 509 just south of S. 128th street. The ambulance driver indicated that he lost sight of the vehicle for a moment. Immediately he reported he observed the Subaru had been involved in a head on collision followed by the report that the ambulance had struck the driver of the Subaru after he exited his vehicle.

The preliminary investigation reveals that the silver Subaru Legacy while traveling northbound in the northbound lanes of State Route 509, turned around for an unknown reason and began traveling southbound in the northbound lanes where it very quickly struck a Ford Explorer head-on. The force of the impact sent the Subaru Legacy spinning into an Acura Integra that had been traveling northbound behind the Explorer. The driver of the Explorer, a 31 year old female from Tukwila was taken from the scene in critical condition and her two passengers, 27 and 23 year old females both from Seattle were transported in serious condition. The driver of the Acura, a 47 year old man from Seattle and his passenger, a 43 year old female also from Seattle, were transported for chest pain. All injured parties were taken to Harborview Medical Center and their conditions are unknown at the time of this release.

State Patrol Detectives are still trying to determine the next course of events that led the driver of the Subaru Legacy (a 31-year-old Federal Way man) to exit his badly damaged vehicle and attempt to flee the scene by jumping over the center median divider and running into the southbound lanes where he was struck by at least 4 vehicles and possibly a 5th. The 5th vehicle, a dark passenger car, reportedly left the scene without stopping. The driver of the Subaru – now fleeing pedestrian – was struck while in the southbound lanes and thrown from vehicle to vehicle finally being vaulted underneath the Tri-Med ambulance as it was attempting to pull over to assist with the collision. The Emergency Medical Technicians on board attempted to resuscitate the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Washington State Patrol is looking for witnesses who may have observed or have any information regarding this hit and run collision that occurred between the pedestrian and the dark colored small passenger car or small SUV. If you have information please call Detective Stacy Moate at 425-401-7746

Tags: Highway 509

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