Third pedestrian in last month dies after being struck on Whatcom County roadways
A 27-year-old Blaine woman was the third pedestrian killed on Whatcom County roadways in the past month when she was struck Nov. 29 on Slater Road and later died.
Katrina J. Sampson was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle but later died, according to the Washington State Patrol release on the incident.
At approximately 5:12 p.m. Nov. 29, Sampson was eastbound on Slater Road near Lake Terrell Road when she was struck by a white 2002 Chevrolet Silverado, which also was eastbound on Slater, according to the release.
The State Patrol is still investigating the incident, though it’s not believed the 44-year-old Silverado driver from Ferndale was impaired at the time of the crash, Trooper Heather Axtman told The Bellingham Herald.
Neither the driver nor his 45-year-old Bellingham passenger were injured in the collision, the report states.
After seeing no pedestrian deaths on Whatcom roadways during the first 10½ months of 2020, the county has now had three in the past month.
Monte Nieuwendorp, 60 of Bellingham, was struck and killed Nov. 19 while walking on Birch Bay Lynden Road after the State Patrol reported he ran out of gas, while Steven C. Griffith, 66 of Ferndale, was struck and killed Dec. 7 while crossing Enterprise Road.
Pedestrians in the roadway were cited as the causes of both the Nov. 19 and Dec. 7 fatalities, but all three incidents occurred after dark and along rural roads in Whatcom County.
The county is now approaching its 2019 total of four fatal collisions involving pedestrians, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation Crash Portal.
Sampson’s death represents the ninth fatal collision on Whatcom roads so far this year, according to Crash Portal, which is an improvement over the 15 fatal collisions and 16 deaths the county saw last year.
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 7:25 AM.
