The Washington State Patrol is reporting that, late Monday night (Oct. 18th), 911 dispatchers received a frantic phone call initially reporting a wrong way driver on SR-509 in Burien.

This resulted in a head-on collision, and ended with an ambulance colliding with a pedestrian thrown between several other vehicles.

In the end, the wrong-way driver, Adam Knapp, 31, of Federal Way, was killed, and five others were injured.

WSP’s report says:

At 11:53pm Monday night, an on-duty Tri-Med ambulance driver made the initial 911 call on his cell phone to report a silver Subaru had turned around and began traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of State Route 509 just south of South 128th street. The ambulance driver indicated that he lost sight of the vehicle for a moment. Immediately he reported he observed the Subaru had been involved in a head on collision followed by the report that the ambulance had struck the driver of the Subaru after he exited his vehicle.

The preliminary investigation reveals that the silver Subaru Legacy, while traveling northbound in the northbound lanes of State Route 509, turned around for an unknown reason and began traveling southbound in the northbound lanes where it very quickly struck a Ford Explorer head-on. The force of the impact sent the Subaru Legacy spinning into an Acura Integra that had been traveling northbound behind the Explorer. The driver of the Explorer, a 31-year old female from Tukwila, was taken from the scene in critical condition and her two passengers, 27 and 23-year old females both from Seattle were transported in serious condition. The driver of the Acura, a 47-year old man from Seattle and his passenger, a 43-year old female also from Seattle, were transported for chest pain. All injured parties were taken to Harborview Medical Center and their conditions are unknown at the time of this release.

State Patrol Detectives are still trying to determine the next course of events that lead the driver of the Subaru Legacy, a 31-year old man from Federal Way, to exit his badly damaged vehicle and attempt to flee the scene by jumping over the center median divider and running into the southbound lanes where he was struck by at least 4 vehicles and possibly a 5th. The 5th vehicle, a dark passenger car, reportedly left the scene without stopping. The driver of the Subaru – now fleeing pedestrian, was struck while in the southbound lanes and thrown from vehicle to vehicle finally being vaulted underneath the Tri-Med ambulance as it was attempting to pull over to assist with the collision. The Emergency Medical Technicians on board attempted to resuscitate the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Troopers are looking for witnesses who may have observed or have any information regarding this hit and run collision that occurred between the pedestrian and the dark colored small passenger car or small SUV.

If you have information please call Detective Stacy Moate at 425-401-7746.

Here are photos from the scene courtesy the Washington State Patrol:

Jason Sanders, 42, of Burien’s “The Bean,” an espresso stand across the street from BTB Advertiser Howard & Marge, as well as the Seahurst Post Office (see map below), was “moderately” injured in a head-on car collision last Saturday, Dec. 26th.

According to the folks at The Bean, Jason was apparently driving from his Mother’s home in Mendocino, CA on Highway 101 when a vehicle crossed the center line and hit the passenger side of his car. While not a direct head-on collision, it was so serious that a passenger in the other vehicle had to be extricated by fire fighters.

Jason suffered a broken pelvis, some lacerations, but otherwise no head trauma. He is currently recovering at the University of California, Davis Hospital in Sacramento.

Co-workers at The Bean say he’ll probably be back on the job, in crutches, within a few weeks. They also say that since he’s a veteran, it’s likely that he has health insurance.

Here’s a snippet from the Ukiah Daily Journal, a local paper that reported on the accident:

A south-bound motorist on a northern Mendocino County stretch of Highway 101 collided head-on with an oncoming car about 2:56 p.m. Saturday.

A woman and two men involved in the collision wore seat belts and alcohol is believed to have not been a factor, a report from California Highway Patrol’s Garberville office stated.

Adam T. Wyndham, 29, of Albany, drove just north of Bridges Creek when he crossed the yellow center lines and collided with 42-year-old Jason Reno Sanders of Burien, Wash., CHP stated.

According to CHP, driving conditions that afternoon were wet and raining.

Wyndham’s passenger, Sherrezada Kent, 29, of Albany, sustained major injuries. CHP stated Kent was pinned in the front passenger seat of a 2005 Ford driven by Wyndham. Then a lengthy extrication, CHP stated, was needed to get her out of the vehicle.

Wyndham sustained minor injuries and Sanders sustained moderate injuries in Saturday’s accident. No arrests were made.

Wyndham, Kent and Sanders all were taken to Jerold Phelps Hospital across the Mendocino and Humboldt County line in Garberville.

Everyone here at The B-Town Blog sends their sincere “best wishes for a speedy recovery” to Jason, his family, friends and co-workers.

We’ll update this story as we receive more information.

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