Whatcom pedestrian struck and killed by passing truck early Thursday
A pedestrian, reportedly wearing dark clothing in a dimly lit area, was struck and killed on a Whatcom County roadway by a driver who was on his way to work early Thursday.
The victim has not yet been identified, and driver impairment is not suspected in the incident.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies, Blaine Police officers and Whatcom County fire personnel were called at approximately 5:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, to a single-vehicle, pedestrian-involved collision at the northern intersection of Portal Way and Loomis Trail Road, sheriff’s office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
A truck traveling southbound hit a male pedestrian wearing dark clothing in an area without street lighting, Slater reported, adding the pedestrian “was clearly in the roadway.”
The Washington State Patrol was requested to document the fatal crash, and the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Slater.
The pedestrian’s identity is not yet known, Slater reported, and the Bellingham Police Department was called to assist with identification by scanning his fingerprints.
Portal Way was closed at Loomis Trail Road at the southern intersection, Loomis Trail was closed to eastbound traffic at Kickerville Road and Portal Way was closed north of the scene to allow for investigation, according to Slater, adding that the roads reopened at approximately 9 a.m.
The fatal incident is the second involving a pedestrian within Whatcom County in the past five days. Early Saturday, a pedestrian was killed after he was struck along Lakeway Drive in Bellingham. The driver in that incident is suspected of driving under the influence and was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide.
Adding those two incidents to the total shown on the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Crash Data Portal, there have been seven fatal incidents on Whatcom County roads involving a pedestrian or bicyclist and another six with a suspected serious injury. Last year there were three fatal incidents involving pedestrians or bicyclists and 10 suspected serious injuries.
There have been 13 total fatal crashes resulting in 13 deaths on Whatcom County roads so far in 2022, after there were a total of 15 fatal incidents resulting in 18 deaths in 2021, according to WSDOT.
This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 10:10 AM.
