Woman charged in fatal accident

A young Lynnwood woman, who in 2006 told police that a man ran or was pushed in front of her car, was charged this week with leaving the scene of a fatal collision.

Lindsey Love Kim, 20, was charged in Snohomish County Superior Court in the July 14, 2006, death of Kurt Gessner, 40, of Lynnwood.

Kim had been at a Lynnwood drinking party, according to charging papers filed by deputy prosecutor Paul Stern .

A witness saw a car strike Gessner in the 14700 block of 35th Avenue W. The witness said the car had been traveling at about 50 mph and “just kept going like nothing happened,” Stern wrote.

Nearly a full day after the collision, Kim called 911 to report that a “pedestrian hit my car,” Stern said.

Later, Kim told detectives that she had been on her way home from the party when she saw two pedestrians along the side of the road, and one of them either ran into the path of the car or was pushed, documents said.

She told police she had been traveling slowly, and didn’t stop because she thought the accident was staged and she was nervous, Stern said.

Kim never discussed the accident with anyone until her mother saw damage to the front of her car.

Although she told investigators that she didn’t have anything to drink at the party, that’s “inconsistent with the statements” of others who attended the party, Stern said.

Several people told police that Kim had been drinking and appeared intoxicated when she drove home. One told police she tried to convince Kim not to drive, Stern said.

“The investigation in this case was stymied for a time because friends of the defendant were reluctant to talk with police,” Stern said. “It appeared to investigators that someone — or some people — on the defendant’s behalf were asking witnesses not to cooperate.”

Kim now is attending school in Oxnard, Calif., Stern said.

The accident happened as Gessner and a friend were walking home on a Friday night after shooting pool. He died about a block away from his home.