Whatcom County snowplow truck hits and kills a pedestrian on rural highway Tuesday night
A Deming man walking along the Highway 9 was killed after being struck by a Whatcom County Public Works snowplow Tuesday evening, the Washington State Patrol reported.
Trooper Jacob Kennett first tweeted about the fatal incident, which he told The Bellingham Herald occurred at approximately 6:19 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, near milepost 78 (Rutsatz Road).
“Our hearts go out to those affected by this incident. Troopers are on scene investigating and there is currently no detour. Please avoid the area and be safe,” Kennett tweeted Tuesday night.
The pedestrian was identified as 47-year-old Aaron B. Cooper of Deming in a Washington State Patrol report about the incident. The driver of the snowplow was identified as 56-year-old James A. Endserby of Bellingham.
The snowplow was working northbound on Highway 9 clearing the roadway at the time of the incident, Kennett told The Herald Wednesday, Jan. 5.
Cooper, who was wearing dark clothing, also was walking northbound on the right side of the highway in an area that was dark, has limited shoulders and is curvy and rural, Kennett said.
“The pedestrian had their back to traffic, and the driver of the snowplow did not see him until it was too late,” Kennett told The Herald.
Cooper died at the scene, according to the State Patrol release.
“We extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased during this difficult time,” Public Works Director Jon Hutchings said in a release Wednesday morning.
A full investigation into the incident is underway, according to the release. Highway 9 was closed for the crash investigation but was open Wednesday.
Public Works spokesperson Marie Duckworth told The Herald in an email that she spoke to a few other people in the department, including one who had been there for 30 years, and “no one can recall an incident like this with a snowplow in the past.”
Icy conditions were reported throughout Whatcom County Tuesday night, Kennett said in a separate tweet.
“It’s snowing and there’s freezing rain in places across the district,” Kennett tweeted. “If you don’t have to be out and about please stay home. If you do find yourself needing to commute, drive safely and employ good winter weather driving tactics.”
Kennett also told The Herald that it was absolutely imperative for pedestrians to wear bright, reflective clothing after dark, carry a light if possible and walk on the opposite side of rural highways so you can see traffic coming.
“If you don’t have to be out there when the weather is bad, like it was last night, don’t go out,” Kennett said.
Slippery roads also were blamed for a crash that injured a Nooksack woman on Everson-Goshen Road about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the state patrol said in a report on the incident.
The incident with the snowplow was the second fatal crash on Whatcom County roadways in less than two hours. Earlier in the afternoon, a Maple Falls man was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide after a towing incident resulted in the death of a Lynden man on Guide Meridian. Drugs or alcohol are suspected to have played a role in the incident, the State Patrol reported.
The two fatal crashes Tuesday are the first on Whatcom County roads in 2022, after there were 14 fatal crashes resulting in 17 deaths in 2021, according to the WSDOT Crash Data Portal.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 6:25 AM.
