A Washington State Patrol search for the driver of a car involved in a multivehicle crash along Interstate 5 in Seattle where a Kent woman was killed, took an unusual twist.
A driver of a Toyota Corolla that had crashed June 2 near the West Seattle Bridge reportedly had fled the scene, according to a passenger in the car. Shanique S. Dickens, 26, exited that car prior to being hit by the mirror of a motorhome and then struck again when another vehicle knocked a third vehicle that knocked the Corolla into her. Dickens died at the scene.
The State Patrol reported and asked for the public’s help to find a woman known as “Tae,” who reportedly was driving the Corolla but fled the scene.
On Thursday, June 13, however, the State Patrol detectives arrested a 26-year-old Kent woman who claimed to be a passenger the night of the crash, for investigation of felony hit-and-run and providing false statements to law enforcement, according to a June 14 State Patrol press release.
“Through the investigation and using video footage from a gas station near the collision scene it was determined that “Tae” did not exist and that there were only three occupants in the Toyota and that (the arrested woman) was the driver,” according to the State Patrol.
Detectives booked the woman into the King County jail. The Kent Reporter is not yet naming the woman because she has not been formally charged. As of Friday, June 14, she remained in the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle with bail set at $50,000.
At about 4 a.m. on June 2, a 911 caller reported that her friend (Dickens) was struck by a vehicle along southbound I-5 near the West Seattle Bridge.
Once troopers arrived the investigation revealed the following sequence of events:
A green 1996 Toyota Corolla was traveling down the ramp from the West Seattle Bridge to southbound I-5 when it went out of control and struck the barrier.
The Corolla ended up in lane one of southbound I-5 The occupants of the vehicle, including Dickens, exited to get to a safer location, according to the State Patrol. A motorhome was traveling the freeway in lane two and was unable to move over. As the motorhome passed the Corolla, the passenger side mirror struck Dickens in the head causing her to end up in lane two. One of the other passengers pulled her out of lane two and in front of the Corolla in lane one.
An American Medical Response (AMR) Ford F-150 ambulance happened upon the scene and the driver placed the vehicle behind the Corolla and activated the emergency lights, according to the State Patrol. The AMR employee began to render aid to Dickens and while doing this noticed a vehicle heading straight toward them at freeway speeds.
The ambulance driver along with the other passengers of the Corolla were able to jump out of the way as the vehicle struck the AMR vehicle. The AMR vehicle was pushed into the Corolla which subsequently ended up trapping Dickens underneath it.
The Seattle Fire Department arrived and declared Dickens deceased. A 33-year-old Arizona man, the driver of the vehicle that struck the AMR vehicle, was showing signs of impairment and troopers placed him into custody for investigation of DUI.
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