SEQUIM — An 83-year-old pedestrian who was talking to a driver stopped on a dark, rural roadway was killed in a collision.
The driver of a northbound vehicle in the 3000 block of East Sequim Bay Road struck Denis E. Body at about 5 p.m. Tuesday as Body was stepping away from a driver sitting in the southbound lane, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
Body lived in the 2600 block of East Sequim Bay Road, Sheriff’s Office Chief Criminal Deputy Brian King said Wednesday.
Sheriff’s Sgt. John Keegan said the northbound driver was blinded by the parked vehicle’s headlights.
“As the northbound vehicle approached, the pedestrian attempted to get out of the roadway, but only made it to the middle of the northbound lane when he was struck at about 30 miles per hour,” Keegan said in a press release.
Body was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Keegan said.
King said the 74-year-old male driver of the 1996 Ford Ranger pickup that struck Body will not be charged in the fatality.
“Quite frankly, it’s an unfortunate accident, but the fact is that the pedestrian was in the roadway,” he said.
“The driver never saw the individual in the roadway until he struck him.
“It’s a dark, rural county road,” King added.
“A lot of those county rural roads, people tend to stop and talk, or walk their dog.
“There’s a wall of light created by a vehicle facing you.
“It’s just a tough situation.”
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
