Everett man dies in big rig crash

EVERETT — Debris covered the sprawling intersection where Highway 526 and Everett Mall Way meet early Friday: Bits and pieces of a mangled truck, bent metal, broken plastic and a sandwich that will never be eaten.

An Everett man died when two big trucks smashed into each other.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner identified the man as Viktor T. Stelmakh, 57. His death was ruled an accident.

The crash happened about 4:15 a.m., Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said.

An eastbound tractor-trailer on Highway 526 was pulling through the intersection at Everett Mall Way onto Highway 527 when it apparently was hit broadside by a northbound rig. That truck was not hauling a trailer.

Stelmakh was ejected from his cabin and died at the scene.

The other driver, a Fife man, 32, was taken to Providence Everett Medical Center as a precaution. He was treated and released, Goetz said.

The intersection is controlled by traffic lights and police are trying to determine who had the right of way at the time of the crash, Goetz said.

Investigators are also looking into whether Stelmakh was wearing a seat belt.

Many truckers don’t wear restraints believing it’s safer to drive without them, said Jeff Turner at Valley Freightliner, a truck dealership in Mount Vernon.

The Everett intersection was closed for nearly seven hours as police cleaned up the mess.

State Department of Transportation officials had flaggers redirecting the morning commute, spokeswoman Broch Bender said.

The traffic backups were manageable, she said.

“It happened pretty early and the word got out,” Bender said.

Unloaded three-axle truck cabs similar to the ones involved in a fatal crash Friday morning in Everett weigh about 25,000 pounds, said Lt. Kevin Zeller with the Washington State Patrol’s commercial vehicle unit. Loaded tractor-trailer style trucks cannot exceed 105,500 pounds, Zeller said.

Still, newer big rigs drive just like a big SUV, Turner said.

Although, because of the weight, “You don’t stop them the same way it takes to stop a Honda Civic,” Turner said.

The crash was the talk among the truckers at the Mount Vernon dealership Friday, he said.

Today’s economy relies on truckers to deliver goods to market. Tuckers often don’t get respect from motorists, Turner said, adding that when anyone dies on the roads, it’s a tragedy.

“You always feel bad,” he said.

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.

Help police

Anyone who witnessed Friday morning’s crash is asked to call the Everett Police Department tip line at 425-257-8540.

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