A suspect who fled after hitting a Washington State Department of Transportation vehicle while driving the wrong way on Interstate 5 was found dead the next morning as a pedestrian fatality at the same location.
Washington State Patrol reported the sequence began around 7:40 p.m. Friday when a WSDOT employee was struck by a wrong-way driver on southbound I-5 near 175th Street. The WSDOT worker, who was nearly stopped at the time of impact, sustained no injuries.
The wrong-way driver abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot before troopers arrived at the scene. Despite search efforts, responding officers were unable to locate the suspect Friday evening.
The following morning, just before 6:00 a.m., WSP received a 911 call reporting a pedestrian had stepped in front of a vehicle exiting southbound I-5 to 175th Street. Emergency responders and troopers arrived quickly, but the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators subsequently confirmed the deceased pedestrian was the same individual who had fled the previous evening’s hit-and-run incident involving the WSDOT vehicle.
The driver who struck the pedestrian Saturday morning showed no signs of impairment during field sobriety evaluation. Washington State Patrol determined no charges would be filed against that driver, treating the pedestrian fatality as a separate incident.
The case represents an unusual sequence of events where a traffic suspect became a fatality victim at the same location within approximately 10 hours.
Authorities continue investigating both incidents and are requesting anyone with additional information to contact the Washington State Patrol.
The wrong-way driving incident highlights ongoing safety concerns for WSDOT workers who perform roadside maintenance and emergency response duties on busy interstate highways.
Interstate 5 near 175th Street experiences heavy traffic volume, making wrong-way driving incidents particularly dangerous for both workers and motorists in the area.
