Pickup jumps curb in Lynnwood, killing girl
Published 11:46 pm Saturday, May 24, 2008
LYNNWOOD — A teenage girl died late Friday night when she and another girl were hit by a truck as they walked on a sidewalk.
The girls were walking in the 3300 block of 164th Street SW about 11:10 p.m. when an eastbound pickup truck jumped the curb, hit them and rolled, Snohomish County sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Prentiss said.
One girl died at the scene. Fire officials described her as a teenager, but did not give her name or age. Further information about her was unavailable Saturday.
The other girl, 16, of LynnÂwood, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The driver of the truck, a 32-year-old Snohomish man, and his passenger, a 26-year-old Mill Creek woman, were also taken to Harborview with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. As of Saturday afternoon, the driver had not been cited or arrested, Prentiss said.
On Saturday, a vase of purple and red flowers sat on the sidewalk where the accident occurred. Just to the west, the metal guard rail along the sidewalk was damaged where the truck jumped the curb. Tire marks crossed the sidewalk and onto a concrete barrier.
When the collision happened, Neil Lukowski, 24, and Roger Crowe, 22, who attend Southeastern Free Will Baptist College in North Carolina, were leaving an apartment complex across the street.
They heard a loud crash. Then they saw a white Ford Ranger, which had rolled onto its roof, skidding down 164th.
Lukowski and Crowe said they and a couple of friends ran to help. A small group of people gathered around the girl who later died. Crowe, who trained as a paramedic, tried to comfort the 16-year-old girl, telling others not to move her.
The girl seemed to be in shock, Crowe said. Her eyes were closed, and she was trying to speak.
“We’re praying for the family of the girl who got killed and we’re praying for the other victims, as well,” Crowe said.
Lukowski said he sat with the driver of the truck, whom he described as distraught.
Lukowski said he did what he could to lift the man’s spirits.
“I told him I was praying for him,” Lukowski said. “He leaned on me and said, ‘Thank you.’ “
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Collision Investigation Unit is investigating the accident.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
