An off-duty police officer from Auburn was behind the wheel of a vehicle that struck and killed a pedestrian in Seattle, news outlets reported. The driver is now facing charges for reckless driving, vehicular homicide, and a misdemeanor hit and run.
The accident happened after the off-duty officer struck the right rear corner of a taxi while driving his Mercedes-Benz vehicle in downtown Seattle on Saturday. While the accident caused minor damage to the taxi and no injuries, the driver sped off northbound on Alaskan Way without leaving his contact information. As he sped on 15th Avenue Northwest, traveling at an estimated 85 miles per hour on a road with a 30 mph speed limit, he drove onto the sidewalk while trying to turn right onto Gilman Drive West, hitting a pedestrian. The victim suffered fatal injuries and was killed almost immediately, official documents stated.
According to news outlets, the victim was a retired marine.
While the off-duty officer who was behind this accident is on administration leave from the Auburn Police Department, officials are still investigating the accident.
Outlets covering this story indicated that while the driver’s blood test results were pending, officials who responded to the scene of the crash claimed he was “obviously impaired.”
This horrific incident should remind us that drinking and driving is never acceptable.
Driving while intoxicated is against the law and deadly. Drivers who ignore this fact will face the consequences of their actions.
As personal injury attorneys, we hope that others learn from this accident.
For more on this story and more details on the victim, follow this link.