SEATTLE - The Washington State Patrol says an SUV crossed five lanes of Interstate 5 to hit and kill a tow truck driver working on a disabled vehicle in Seattle.
According to the State Patrol, the GT Towing employee, 51-year-old William Padilla of Burien, died at the scene about 1:30 a.m. Friday.
The State Patrol was investigating a one-car collision on southbound I-5 at Spokane Street and the trooper called for a tow truck. As the tow truck driver was hooking up the disabled vehicle a driver of a white SUV traveling in the left lane of the freeway lost control of the vehicle. The SUV crossed all of the lanes and struck and killed the tow truck driver and then sped off.
“That vehicle (the SUV) then spun around in the freeway, so he was facing the wrong direction on the left shoulder,” said Trooper Tresina John. “So he could clearly see what had happened because the tow truck driver was laying in the middle of the freeway after he had gotten hit.”
The trooper witnessed what happened.
"The trooper had heard the sound of squealing tires and that's what brought his attention to looking behind him and seeing what happened," said John. "And so the vehicle was already spinning before it even crashed into the tow truck driver who was hooking up the vehicle."
Troopers found the fleeing vehicle at the next off-ramp and arrested two people.
Troopers suspect a 20-year-old Seattle man was the driver. A 31-year-old Seattle man also was jailed. They believe both were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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