Federal Way man dies in single-car crash in Kent

Kent Police continue to investigate the death of a 19-year-old Federal Way man found inside a car that crashed into a tree on the West Hill of Kent.

Driver Leonel Roman-Gonzalez was alone in the car and found dead by officers inside a 1992 Honda Civic, said Lt. Pat Lowery, Kent Police spokesman, in a July 24 email. The car and the tree each were heavily damaged.

Officers were dispatched at about 3:52 a.m. Sunday, July 15 to a single-car accident at Reith Road and Military Road South. Officers inspected the vehicle and found no indication of other impacts that may have contributed to the collision, Lowery said. Investigators determined the roadway did not reveal any cause of the crash.

"The investigation confirmed that it was a single vehicle collision (no contributing vehicles) and that both the roadway and vehicle were not the cause," Lowery said.

Police are waiting for a toxicology report on Roman-Gonzales from the state crime lab.

"We are presently awaiting the results of the toxicology screening to find out if there was any substance that may have contributed to the collision," Lowery said. "Pending those results the case remains active and under investigation."

Neighbors report that friends and relatives of Roman-Gonzalez placed a roadside memorial tribute to him at the accident site.

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Contact Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter Steve Hunter at shunter@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600, ext. 5052.

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