Troopers say that Katerina M. Valavala, 20, of Des Moines, died in the one-vehicle crash around 9:15 p.m. Saturday night on I-5 just north of SR-518.

Read the rest of the story here.

Click image to see larger version.

According to Nathan’s email:

Two cars were involved.

One minor neck injury to the person who crashed into the fence.

Accident was witnessed by a plain-clothed police officer.

Fire and medics responded.

“This intersection continues to be a major problematic intersection ,” Nathan added.

Read the full story here.

After reading a post on The B-Town Blog about how a 13-year old Burien girl was hit in a crosswalk, severely injured and in need of donations, four young local girls dug deep, convinced their parents to buy candy, water and drinks, spent the day popping popcorn, then raised over $300 for Whitney Sellers by selling concessions at the final ‘Movies in the Park’ Friday night.

It all started when Hanna Rasmussen read a story on the Blog about how Whitney, 13, was hit by a truck in a Burien crosswalk on Aug. 7th. Her pelvis was broken, and her Mom needed help paying medical expenses.

Hanna asked her Mom, Carrie Rasmussen, if she could hold a fundraiser for Whitney, even though she’d never met her. Carrie said “yes” of course, and after a phone call to Burien Parks’ Gina Kallman, the girls got permission to sell concessions to raise money at Friday night’s free showing of “Despicable Me” at Lake Burien School Park.

“Tired and tallied, $331 is the final count,” said Carrie. “I am going to take Hanna up to Key Bank Saturday to deposit it into Whitney’s Recovery Account.”

Of course, the girls had a lot to say as well:

Hanna:

“I saw the story on the blog (B-Town) and thought I should help her and her mom.  I didn’t know her, sometimes it is just nice to help people.”

Zoe:

“I felt bad and thought it would be nice to help and it would be a good thing to do.”

Sarah:

“If this happened to me I would want others to help out.”

Ashley:

“When I help it feels good inside and I feel that person’s feelings.  And I just want to help people when they are in need.”

“On a side note, I just want to say what a wonderfully caring community we live in,” Carrie added. “When I asked Burien Press for a coffee donation, they agreed without hesitation. It was also great to run out of popcorn and candy and still have people coming up to just give a donation.”

If you missed last night’s chance to help Whitney out, you can do so online at this website set up to help her. Whitney will have to learn to walk again, but can’t even begin that process for 6-8 weeks. You can also donate in person to the Whitney Sellers Recovery Fund at any Key Bank.

Whitney, in a wheelchair, was able to come watch the movie, where she met the girls at their concession table. Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer was also there to capture the following images from what was truly an inspiring, feel-good B-Town night:

Zoe, Hanna, Ashley and Sarah sold concessions to benefit Whitney Sellers at 'Movies in the Park.'

Whitney Sellers, seated in a wheelchair, meets the girls. Her Mom, Jennifer Shields, stands behind her.

Burien’s Hanna Rasmussen and friends will be selling concessions to raise money for injured Burien teen Whitney Sellers at this Friday’s final ‘Movies in the Park’ FREE showing of “Despicable Me” at Lake Burien Park, which begins at 8:30 p.m.

Hanna and friends will be there early selling popcorn, juice, water and movie treats, with all proceeds going to the Whitney Sellers Recovery Fund.

Whitney Sellers

Whitney, 13, was hit in a Burien crosswalk and severely injured Aug. 7th, and her family is in need of donations to cover medical expenses – read our previous coverage here.

Lake Burien School Park is located at SW 148th & 16th Ave SW, and the film is set to start around 8:30 p.m., so be sure to bring a blanket and cash for popcorn and goodies to help this young girl out.

For more information: www.BurienParks.net or 206-988-3700.

Here’s a trailer of “Despicable Me”:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Washington State Patrol says the accident happened on northbound I-5 as two adults, one from Burien and the other from Kent, were trying to change a flat tire along the side of the freeway. The drunk driver apparently lost control of his Acura, hit a barrier, then crashed into the disabled, parked car, injuring the adults and killing the baby inside.

Police say that the parents, Terra Pina, 21, of Burien, and Angel Pena, 23, of Kent, were on the shoulder attempting to fix a flat tire. The infant, inside the car at the time of the crash, died at the scene.

Christopher A. Roman, 26, of Beaverton, Ore., was accused Monday morning of driving drunk and causing the crash that killed the boy in Clark County Superior Court. Bail was set at $200,000, and his arraignment is set for Sept. 2. He was previously convicted of a DUI in 2005 in California.

Investigators say that Roman was seen passing cars and “swerving all over the road” prior to the fatal crash.

Terra Pina, the driver of the disabled car, was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center with neck and back pain. Angel Pina was also transported to the same hospital with a head laceration and a leg injury.

Roman was arrested at the same hospital after being treated for lacerations.

Read the full story here.

Funds are being raised to help Whitney Sellers, 13, who was hit in a crosswalk in Burien on Aug. 7th (read our report here), and is suffering from major injuries including a fractured hip and pelvis, broken jaw and knee, along with numerous cuts and scrapes.

To donate online, click here, then click on the “Donate” button on the right side of the website.

Whitney, who attends Burien’s Sylvester Middle School, was struck by a pickup truck when she was in a crosswalk at the intersection of SW 154th and Ambaum Blvd. SW.

According to a website set up to help Whitney, she will also have to learn to walk again, and can’t even begin that process for 6-8 weeks.

The fundraising effort is being lead by members of the Rotary Club of Tukwila, with the goal of helping Whitney’s Mom, Jennifer Shields, meet medical expenses.

“It appears that some medical will be covered but the battle is just beginning and her mother, Jenny, will be at home with her for a long time,” reads the site.

Whitney’s grandfather, Bill Shields, adds:

A great deal of support and therapy will certainly be needed to help Whitney recover, both mentally and physically, so a friend of Jenny’s who works for the Rotary has coordinated with Key Bank to set up a fund for donations (details below). This is a ‘silent receipt’ fund but just know that anything you can help with will be a blessing and hopefully mitigate at least some stress.

There are three ways you can donate/contribute to Whitney’s account:

1. Click on the “Donate” button on the right side of the website for credit card or direct bank payment via Paypal.

2. Go into any Key Bank Branch and the tellers can look up the account by the name.

3. If you can’t make it to a branch or live out of state, you can send a check made out to the “Whitney Sellers Recovery Fund” to the Seattle Key Bank branch at the following address:

Whitney Sellers Recovery Fund
c/o Key Bank
2500 1st Ave
Seattle,WA 98121

God bless you all for your thoughts and prayers and please spread the word if you are comfortable with that. Thank you!!

There is also a Facebook Page which you can “Like” and comment on.

Everyone at The B-Town Blog sends their most positive thoughts of healing to Whitney, and we vow to do whatever else we can to help.

Troopers report that the motorcyclist apparently lost control while traveling southbound on 509, near where it intersects with SR-518. No other vehicles were involved, and the injured motorcyclist was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with life-threatening injuries.

The cause of the crash has not been determined; however, police say that alcohol may have been a factor.

Southbound lanes of 509 were shut down for several hours after the crash for investigation.

by Greg Wright

The King County Sheriff’s Office, through whom Burien contracts its police services, issued the following statement on Monday:

A 13 year-old Burien girl was injured yesterday (August 7th) after she was struck by a pick-up truck about 7:15 PM. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.

The accident occurred when the girl, her sister, and a friend were all crossing Ambaum Blvd in a marked crosswalk at SW 154th. The driver of a 1990 Ford Ranger was northbound on Ambaum and apparently didn’t see the pedestrians.

The victim was just ahead of the other two in the crosswalk and she was the only one hit.

The driver is a 52 year-old man from Burien. He was not booked into jail or cited pending additional investigation.

Detectives believe alcohol on the part of the driver may have been a contributing factor to the accident.

An early report by KOMO News quoted Sgt. John Hall as saying the driver of the vehicle had been “arrested for investigation of vehicular assault.”    Yesterday, KIRO TV added that, although the driver was initially taken into custody, he “hasn’t been booked into jail or cited, pending further investigation by police.”

Late last night, KOMO’s Ray Lane added the following:

Detectives estimate the driver was going about 45 miles per hour – possibly faster – when he slammed into [the girl] on Sunday. Whitney [Sellers], who was walking across busy Ambaum Boulevard with her younger sister and cousin at the time, was thrown by the impact and landed some 25 feet away.

Deputies took the driver into custody, but he has not been arrested.

“It makes me angry,” said [mother Jennifer] Shields. “And I definitely would want to see something happen.”

The family has been told that results of blood-alcohol tests, which will help make decision about possible charges, will take two to three weeks. But the family wants to know why the man is allowed to roam free in the meantime, especially as Whitney lies in the hospital in pain.

“If he, in fact, was drinking and driving, that’s my biggest thing,” said Shields. “I would never want this to happen to anybody else.”

Detectives have also told the family they’re looking into whether a medical situation could have also been a factor in the crash.

According to Lane, the family reports that Jennifer is scheduled to undergo a “series of surgeries” today.

“It’ll probably be a couple months before she can try to learn how to walk again,” said mother Jennifer Shields.

Whitney’s pelvis is shattered in five places. Her hip is broken. There’s a pin in one of her knees, and her chin is fractured.

A call to King County’s Sgt. John Urquhart this morning confirmed that there have been no new developments in either citation, charges, or arrest.  Urquhart emphasized that any new developments will be weeks in coming.

We’re still awaiting word from the Washington State Patrol on the cause of the accident, or whether there were any injuries or fatalities, and when we do we’ll update this post.

We sent Photographer Michael Brunk over, and he shot these pics: