KIRKLAND, Wash. — A man is dead after Washington State Troopers say he hit a car on I-405 and then sped off and ended up crashing into a wall on 128th Street in Kirkland.
"We get hit-and-runs quite often, but this doesn't occur with every hit-and-run, or every day," said WSP Trooper Rick Johnson.
The 49-year-old man was identified by the King County Medical Examiner as Dwain Frausto.
Troopers said Frausto was driving a white van in the northbound lanes of I-405 around 10:30 a.m. when troopers said he rear-ended another car. It happened about a half-mile from the 128th Street off-ramp.
Frausto then sped onto the off-ramp and ran a red light. Troopers believe he lost control of the van and crashed into a railing and pole on the 128th Street bridge.
The van caught fire and Frausto was trapped inside. Several witnesses tried to free him but weren't able to get him out. Troopers said he died at the scene.
Debris from the crash fell onto a car traveling on I-405. The driver in that incident was not injured.
The crash shut down a portion of I-405 and 128th Street for several hours.
Washington State Patrol is investigating what led up to this incident.