PORT ANGELES — Police continued Tuesday to investigate a wreck that killed a Sekiu man Monday night.
Criminal charges are not expected against a driver who hit David Blanco, 59, as he walked across South Peabody Street near its intersection with East Second Street, police said.
Police arrived at the intersection just after 7 p.m. to find Blanco and the driver, Adam Bair, 29, who had remained at the scene after hitting the pedestrian, according to Sgt. Joshua Powless.
The wreck happened as Bair, hometown unknown, was traveling north on Peabody Street, police said.
Medics arrived just after police and began life-saving measures before Blanco was transported to Olympic Medical Center, where he died of his injuries shortly thereafter.
Police said drugs, alcohol or speed were not believed to be factors in the collision and said they would release information as it becomes available.
“Based on the information we have, it appears to truly just be an accident,” Powless said. “The most we’re looking at is an infraction.”
That depends on whether Blanco, who was wearing dark clothing, was crossing at the unmarked crosswalk at the dark intersection.
Powless said that based on accounts from a witness and the driver, it’s unclear whether Bair should be charged with failure to yield at a crosswalk.
He said collision investigators still need to evaluate the scene, which was marked with traffic paint.
They will work to determine the point of impact and speed, Powless said.
Blanco’s son, Chris Blanco, said his father was always happiest when he was outdoors and that the area around La Push was his favorite spot in the Pacific Northwest.
Chris Blanco, who owns a restaurant in Seattle, said that in the 1980s, his father was a teacher in a village in Huslia, Alaska, calling that likely the happiest time of his life.
He was involved in a community radio station in Portland, Ore., before he moved to Anchorage, Alaska, around 1997 ,where he was involved with the National Native News and was a National Public Radio producer into the early 2000s.
The two never went more than a month without catching up, Chris Blanco said.
He said his father “wanted to be in nature experiencing life.”
“He was not happy in cities or with technology,” Chris Blanco said. He described his father as sensitive.
David Blanco is survived by his mother, brothers and sisters, and his two children.
Port Angeles police requested help from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office’s traffic investigation unit to determine the location of the point of impact, vehicle speed and other factors. The investigation is ongoing.
Powless said anyone who witnessed the collision should contact the Police Department by calling 360-452-4545. Police also are looking for video cameras that would have captured the collision.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
