SUQUAMISH — A 55-year-old Seattle man was killed when his car collided with a Puget Sound Energy utility truck driven by a 60-year-old Port Townsend resident.
The man was identified as Kevin Patrick Chandler by the Kitsap County Coroner’s Office, and he was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash Saturday, according to a Sunday press release from the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office.
The wreck happened on the 21600 block of Miller Bay Road NE, at the intersection with NE Wood Bay Lane near Suquamish, and was reported at 4:43 p.m. Saturday, according to the press release.
The investigation into the collision is ongoing, but the preliminary report indicates that the Toyota Sequoia that Chandler was driving was headed south on Miller Bay Road.
Investigators believe Chandler crossed the center line while driving and struck the northbound PSE vehicle, which attempted to avoid the collision, the press release stated.
It is suspected that Chandler might have had a medical event just before the collision, according to traffic investigators. An autopsy was to be conducted Monday to determine cause and manner of death, but had not been completed as of Monday afternoon.
The Port Townsend driver, who is not being identified by the Sheriff’s Office, sustained minor injuries in the collision and was taken to Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton to be evaluated. Hospitals do not provide patient status information without a name, so no details were available on whether the Port Townsend driver was admitted or treated.
There was no evidence that the Port Townsend driver was speeding or impaired, according to the press release.
Chandler was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision, the press release stated.
Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol and North Kitsap Fire and Rescue all responded to the wreck.
Miller Bay Road was closed Saturday for more than five hours for an investigation.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5 or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
