2 killed in wrong-way crash on I-405 identified
BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Two men were killed Friday evening when the car they were in crashed head-on into an SUV in the northbound lanes of Interstate 405.
Trooper Jeff Merrill said the driver of the Honda Civic somehow ended up going the wrong direction on the freeway and crashed into the SUV about 7:50 p.m.
The 19-year-old Puyallup woman who was in the SUV had to be cut out of the mangled wreck and suffered serious injuries. Danielle Woods is in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center, but is expected to survive.
The driver and passenger in the Civic were killed instantly. The driver was 31-year-old Miguel J. Fajardo of Duvall. His passenger was 21-year-old Alejandro H. Valles of Carnation.
"It's a violent impact," said Merrill. "Both these cars were probably doing at least 60 miles an hour, so the resulting collision was huge."
The collision on I-405 near the 4th Street exit forced an hours-long closure of the northbound lanes while troopers investigated the crash and crews worked to clear the wreckage.
Merrill said the State Patrol had not received any 911 calls prior to the crash reporting a vehicle going the wrong way, which leads them to believe that the driver may have entered the interstate at the Northeast 6th Street onramp and only traveled a few hundred yards before striking the SUV.
Troopers are testing a substance found in one of the men's shoe to determine whether drugs played a role.
Troopers said the two killed men were construction workers with Kanska Construction, and were seen leaving from the Microsoft building construction site.
Trooper Jeff Merrill said the driver of the Honda Civic somehow ended up going the wrong direction on the freeway and crashed into the SUV about 7:50 p.m.
The 19-year-old Puyallup woman who was in the SUV had to be cut out of the mangled wreck and suffered serious injuries. Danielle Woods is in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center, but is expected to survive.
The driver and passenger in the Civic were killed instantly. The driver was 31-year-old Miguel J. Fajardo of Duvall. His passenger was 21-year-old Alejandro H. Valles of Carnation.
"It's a violent impact," said Merrill. "Both these cars were probably doing at least 60 miles an hour, so the resulting collision was huge."
The collision on I-405 near the 4th Street exit forced an hours-long closure of the northbound lanes while troopers investigated the crash and crews worked to clear the wreckage.
Merrill said the State Patrol had not received any 911 calls prior to the crash reporting a vehicle going the wrong way, which leads them to believe that the driver may have entered the interstate at the Northeast 6th Street onramp and only traveled a few hundred yards before striking the SUV.
Troopers are testing a substance found in one of the men's shoe to determine whether drugs played a role.
Troopers said the two killed men were construction workers with Kanska Construction, and were seen leaving from the Microsoft building construction site.