Mother of Lynnwood hit-and-run victim is ‘on hold with grieving’

LYNNWOOD — Taylor Druliner was born nine days before her mother’s birthday.

So every year on April 8, they made sure to do things together. Carol McKinnon would make her daughter breakfast in the morning , and Druliner got to choose where to go for dinner.

“She was a super sweet girl. She was shy, but people were always drawn to her because they could see what a nice person she was,” McKinnon said.

This week, Druliner would have turned 31.

Around 9 p.m. March 19, a dark-colored sedan traveling south on Highway 99 hit Druliner while she was in a crosswalk at 148th Street SW in Lynnwood, according to the Washington State Patrol. The driver fled, police said.

McKinnon, 58, lives close by. Her son, an emergency contact for Druliner, received a notification that Druliner had been hit by a car. McKinnon and her son quickly arrived, but by then, paramedics were already putting Druliner into an ambulance.

It was the last time McKinnon saw her daughter outside of a hospital bed. Druliner died 11 days later.

Almost a month later, McKinnon is still looking for answers. She frequently calls the state patrol for updates on the investigation, but McKinnon said she is still waiting.

“I feel like I’m on hold with grieving, because I need to stay focused,” McKinnon said.

A week after the crash, troopers released security footage of the sedan suspected of fleeing the scene. On Tuesday, the Washington State Patrol had no updates to release in the investigation.

Meanwhile, McKinnon has been trying to get the word out.

Parker Outdoor donated space on three digital billboards, displaying the escaping vehicle and offering a $1,000 reward. One billboard is near the Home Depot on Airport Road in Everett and the two others are on Highway 522 near the Costco in Woodinville.

In the 11 days she waited at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, three other families in the hospital had a family member struck by a driver who fled the scene, McKinnon said.

“It’s getting way out of control that people are just hitting people and taking off,” she said. “People just don’t care anymore. They’re in a hurry, they’re not paying attention.”

Since 2023, at least six people in Snohomish County were killed in fatal hit and runs. Of those, only two suspects were arrested.

In August, Jennifer Favorite was sentenced to 1½ years in prison and 1½ years on probation for fatally striking James Rubio, 64, in Arlington. In March, Everett Navy sailor Ashton Dedmon was sentenced to 90 days in jail for hitting Joshua Kollman, 53, and then fleeing.

In the next two weeks, McKinnon is hoping to organize a celebration of life for her daughter.

This time of year, starting when Druliner was 4 years old, the two would go to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Druliner always loved going to gardens — the Seattle Japanese Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum was a favorite.

“Her life got stopped and then ended 11 days later. The person that did this, their life is continuing like, I’m assuming, nothing happened, and that’s so beyond wrong,” McKinnon said. “We’ve all made mistakes, but the majority of us have to pay for our mistakes.”

An online fundraiser for Druliner’s family had raised $5,750 as of Tuesday.

Detectives asked anyone with information on the fleeing car to call detective Dan Comnick at 360-654-1144, or email daniel.comnick@wsp.wa.gov. Or dial 911.

Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @snocojon.