A 26-year-old Kent woman, killed after she exited a vehicle involved in a crash along Interstate 5 in Seattle, was first hit by a mirror of a motorhome prior to another vehicle knocking a third vehicle into her.
The Washington State Patrol released more details Wednesday, June 5 about the June 2 crash that killed Shanique S. Dickens, who died of blunt force injuries of the head, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The State Patrol also is looking for information from anyone that might know the driver of one of the four vehicles involved in the incident that fled the scene, according to a June 5 press release.
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 four 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 that struck the AMR vehicle, was showing signs of impairment and troopers placed him into custody for investigation of DUI.
It was determined through interviewing the other passengers of the Corolla that their driver had left the scene prior to troopers arriving. They only knew this person as “Tae” and had no idea where she had gone.
State Patrol detectives are seeking anyone with information on the identity and location of “Tae,” to email Detective Ivan Sergeev at Ivan.Sergeev@wsp.wa.gov.
Federal Way connection
Dickens, listed by the State Patrol on its press memo as a Kent resident, went to Federal Way High School, Highline College and Eastern Washington University, according to her Facebook page, which said she lived in Federal Way. She was from Arkansas.
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