TUKWILA, Wash. — A blurry picture may hold the key to identifying the driver who hit a 27-year-old Kent man and kept going.
The accident happened at about 2:20 Sunday morning. The man was walking southbound in the 11100 block of Tukwila International Boulevard. The headlights that appear to be off the road belong to the vehicle that struck him.
"Were there other vehicles around when he was hit?" Tukwila Police Sgt. Mike Murphy was asked.
"Yes, there were at least eight other vehicles in the pack of cars that had turned from East Marginal Way," Sgt. Murphy said. "But the only trouble is his car was at the back of that pack. So I doubt any of those drivers would have noticed."
He says a passerby spotted the man two critical hours later. Wedged so deeply into a nearby fence, he had to be extricated.
"He suffered from severe head injuries," he said. "It was clear to the firefighters that were there that it was related to being hit by a car."
Investigators believe the vehicle that hit the man was a small silver-colored SUV like a newer, Toyota RAV 4. It likely has substantial damage to the passenger side headlamp, maybe even traces of the victim's blood.
By hitting and leaving the man to die on the side of the road, the driver faces felony hit and run and vehicular assault charges, which carry stiff penalties.
"If he would have stayed though and rendered aid, it's an accident," said Sgt. Murphy.
"What is the incentive to come forward?" he was asked.
"To do the right thing," he said.
Sgt. Murphy says the pictures are actually from video. They hope to release that video tomorrow which may make it easier to find this driver.
As for the victim, he was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. If he doesn't make it, the driver could face a charge of vehicular homicide.
Cox Media Group
