Three men died in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 9 when their vehicle collided into another on Interstate 5 near Kitts Corner in Federal Way.
The three deceased included two passengers, a 27-year-old Federal Way man and a 25-year-old Seattle man, whose names have been withheld by the Washington State Patrol (WSP) until their families can be notified.
Their driver, Jorge Salas Lopez, a 25-year-old Seattle man, also died. He was operating a silver Acura Integra at about 3:43 a.m. on northbound I-5 at a high rate of speed approaching the South 336th Street overpass just prior to the crash, WSP stated.
The Acura was approaching a Chevy truck, which attempted to swerve onto the right shoulder to avoid a collision. The Acura struck the truck, causing both vehicles to come to rest on the right shoulder of the freeway.
Salas Lopez and the two passengers of the Acura, all three of whom were not wearing seatbelts, were declared deceased on the scene by the WSP. Their vehicle was totaled in the crash.
The driver of the truck, a 31-year-old Auburn man who wore a seatbelt, was uninjured, according to the state patrol. Their vehicle suffered reportable damage.
The WSP said alcohol or other drugs may have been a factor in the crash. The official cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The collision caused an approximately three-hour blockage of the roadway, the WSP said.
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
