Man killed on his way to help wife with flat tire

Washington State Patrol troopers confirmed that a man was killed after pulling his car over to the side of a highway on Dec. 6. The man had apparently stopped to adjust a load on the back of his truck when another driver sideswiped the truck and killed him. The fatal accident took place in Smokey Point on the side of I-5.

According to his wife, the man had been on his way to Stanwood before suffering from fatal injuries. When the man’s wife called him to say that she had gotten a flat tire on her way to Kingston, the man turned around to come help her just before the fatal accident took place.

Troopers say that the driver who allegedly struck and killed the man was swerving to avoid hitting traffic that had slowed down in front of him. Impairment from alcohol or drugs is not believed to have been a factor in the accident. It is unclear if anyone else was injured in the accident or if the driver at fault was handed any criminal charges.

A family that has lost a loved one in this kind of car accident may file a civil claim against the driver at fault, even if the driver does not receive criminal charges. Families in this situation typically ask for compensation for funeral expenses, pain and suffering and any end-of-life medical care that might have been administered. If the deceased person earned an income that supported the family, a wrongful death claim may also seek loss of future wages and inheritance.

Source: KIRO, “Father remembered by family after killed by car in Smokey Point“, December 07, 2014