Teen struck and killed by passing semi Tuesday reportedly was kneeling in Whatcom roadway
The teenage boy who was struck and killed by a passing semi truck in Whatcom County Tuesday morning was reportedly kneeling in the roadway and lunged into the trailer or the semi, which attempted to avoid him.
The Washington State Patrol was working to identify the teenager and notify his family, according to a news release about the fatal incident Tuesday evening, March 15.
Trooper Jacob Kennett told The Bellingham Herald Tuesday that the deceased was a boy in his teens. The Herald will not be releasing any more information about his identity.
Whatcom County Fire District 1 crews were called to the 6300 block of Lawrence road near Everson at 11:34 a.m. for the report of an expanded traffic collision, according to the PulsePoint app.
Troopers also responded, according to a tweet from Kennett at 11:52 a.m., who reported it was for a collision involving a pedestrian on State Route 9 north of George Road.
“Prior to the collision Troopers were responding to a pedestrian in the roadway in the same area,” Kennett wrote in a followup tweet. “Shortly thereafter the pedestrian was struck by a semi. Sadly this has turned into a fatality collision.”
According to the State Patrol report on the incident, both the teen and the semi, which was driven by a 46-year-old man from Calgary, Alberta, were in the southbound lanes of State Route 9. The young man was reportedly kneeling in the southbound lane.
The semi truck attempted to pass in the northbound lane, according to the incident report, and the teen lunged into the trailer as the semi passed.
The incident remains under investigation, according to the report.
A detour was set up at State Route 9 and Siper Road, according to Kennett, who tweeted at 2:46 p.m. that the road had reopened but that the investigation was ongoing.
The fatal incident is the sixth on Whatcom County roadways during the first 2½ months of 2022, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation Crash Data Portal. There were 15 fatal crashes through all of 2021, according to WSDOT, after there were eight in 2020.
Resources
Lt. Claudia Murphy of the Bellingham Police Department recommends if people find themselves or a friend in crisis or emotional distress that they call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at any time at 800-273-TALK. For more information about the Lifeline, visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
The Whatcom County Health Department lists several crisis hotlines on its website and also recommended additional local resources through:
▪ NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Whatcom: namiwhatcom.org.
▪ MAD HOPE (madhope.org): Teaching youth and trusted adults to recognize warning signs and connect teens with resources and support.
The Washington State Department of Health also offers behavioral health support guidance for children, youth, and teens in crisis, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, on its website.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 9:40 AM.
