Vehicle crashed into apartment building; driver, passengers injured

KENT, Wash. — A Kent apartment complex was badly damaged when a car, loaded with children, plowed into it.

The crash happened at about 1 a.m. on South 259th Street.

Incredibly, everyone involved survived, but the driver was badly hurt. That comes as no surprise, given the damage left behind. The driver appeared to veer off the road and right into this apartment building.

“Didn’t know what was going on,” said neighbor Michael Carter. “My window was broken. And I was still kind of waking up at this point.”

Carter experienced a rude awakening. He was sound asleep at about 1 a.m. this Easter Sunday morning. Suddenly, his dog was barking furiously.

“So I stuck my head out the window,” said Carter, “and seen a car about 3 feet from my window.”

Kent police said the driver was likely speeding westbound on South 259th Street when he lost control. He crossed the roadway and plowed into the side of the Madison on the River apartments.

“It felt like a little bit of an earthquake,” said David Brandt. “That’s all. And now, looking at the side of the building — apparently, the car hit the second story, not the first.”

Brandt was asleep too. His apartment is just west of the two units that were heavily damaged.

Even in the early morning darkness, it was clear how badly the five passengers were hurt.

The driver had to be extricated from the vehicle. Hours later, his father and other relatives showed up at the scene and identified him as 19-year-old Bryan Orihuela.

“That’s what I woke up to — glass all over the floor,” said Carter.

He showed the damage the crash did to his apartment.

“There’s a little bit on the wall,” he said, pointing to the buckling Sheetrock. “And then the window was busted.”

No one was at home at the two apartments that were the most heavily damaged. And, on this Easter Sunday, those who were at home are counting their blessings.

“We got pretty lucky on that end,” said Carter. “Because if they were going any slower, they would have made contact with me and my buddy, Dave, over here.”

Four apartments have been declared uninhabitable pending a structural evaluation on Monday.

And there is one sad development. There were two dogs in the crash. And one dog died.

The driver is in serious condition in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center.

Cox Media Group