Kent Police continued Wednesday to investigate the cause of a two-car collision Oct. 16 that claimed the life of an 81-year-old woman and sent four people to the hospital.
The crash occurred 9:44 a.m. at the intersection of Southeast 208th Street and 108th Avenue Southeast in the Panther Lake neighborhood on the East Hill.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the woman as Katherine L. Matteoni, of Kent.
The preliminary investigation indicates that northbound traffic along 108th Avenue Southeast at the intersection was stopped for a red light when a gold Toyota Corolla approached from behind the line of cars. Matteoni, the driver of the Toyota, reportedly failed to slow on approach to the traffic signal. The Toyota struck a black Ford Edge from behind, sending the SUV 75 feet across the intersection.
Matteoni was pronounced dead at the scene by Kent paramedics. Firefighters worked quickly to stabilize and remove the occupants of the Ford Edge, all Kent residents.
A 35-year-old man, his 31-year-old wife, and their two children, ages 13 and 9, were transported to area hospitals in “serious but stable” condition. The 13-year-old remained Wednesday at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to an e-mail from Kent Police Sgt. Pat Lowery. The couple and the 9-year-old have been released from the hospital.
Harborview officials would not provide an update about the condition of the 13-year-old because of federal privacy laws, Lowery said.
A family pet riding in the vehicle was also injured and removed by Regional Animal Services of King County. The condition of the dog is unknown.
Police continue to investigate reports from relatives of Matteoni about a pre-existing medical condition that may have contributed to the collision. Police will work with Matteoni’s doctors and the medical examiner’s office to try to determine what might have caused the collision. That includes toxicology tests to determine what, if any medications were being used by Matteoni.
The investigation could take at least a few more weeks as police wait for the toxicology report.
“There are a number of questions to be answered in explaining this collision,” Lowery said. “Our immediate thoughts go to both families.”
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