Driver accused of striking jogger while impaired was Lynnwood city employee
LYNNWOOD, Wash. -- A man accused of hitting a jogger while driving impaired Wednesday evening has been identified as an off-duty Lynnwood city employee who has since been fired, city officials said.
The injured victim, a 34-year-old woman, was running alongside Larch Way when an approaching driver veered off the road in the 3100 block and crashed into her, according to Courtney O'Keefe with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. Medics were called to the scene and rushed the woman to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with what O'Keefe described were life-threatening injuries.
The driver originally left the scene, but eventually called 911 to report he believed he had hit something like driving. Deputies went to his house and determined the man appeared to have been driving under the influence. He's since been arrested for investigation of DUI.
City of Lynnwood officials say the man was an employee in their public works department and though he was off duty, was driving a city-owned vehicle at the time of the crash.
The employee was immediately fired, city officials said. He had only been with the department since December.
“Our hearts ache for the victim of this tragic incident,” Lynnwood Mayor Nicola Smith said in a statement released to the press. “We continue to hold her in our thoughts and prayers.”
