Seattle police are investigating a fatal collision that occurred Friday night involving a 31-year-old man lying in the roadway in South Seattle.
At 10:45 p.m., patrol officers responded to reports of a pedestrian collision near Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and Rainier Avenue South. The Seattle Fire Department provided medical care to the victim. Despite life-saving efforts, the pedestrian succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
A car traveling southbound on MLK struck the man, who was lying in the roadway for unknown reasons, after passing through Rainier Avenue South, according to detectives from the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with police. Officers evaluated the driver and found no signs of impairment, and he was not arrested, police said.
The King County Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death.
Seattle police are asking anyone with information related to the crash to contact the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad at 206-684-8923.
The circumstances that led the victim to be lying in the roadway remain under investigation. Possibilities include medical emergency, intoxication, or being struck by another vehicle before the fatal collision. The intersection of MLK Jr. Way South and Rainier Avenue South is a busy arterial crossing where visibility can be challenging, particularly at night.
The driver’s cooperation and lack of impairment suggest the collision may have been unavoidable given the victim’s position in the roadway, though investigators will examine factors including speed, lighting conditions, and whether the driver could have taken evasive action.
The Traffic Collision Investigation Squad conducts thorough investigations of fatal crashes, examining skid marks, vehicle damage, and witness accounts to reconstruct the sequence of events.
