A 15-year-old boy was in critical condition Tuesday after a vehicle struck him on the southbound Interstate 5 exit ramp to State Route 516 in Kent, in a predawn crash that shut down the ramp for hours. The collision happened at around 2:35 a.m. as the driver was heading southbound on I-5 toward the SR 516 exit.
The teenager was standing in the second lane of the ramp when the vehicle hit him, according to FOX 13 Seattle. The force of the impact stopped the vehicle in that same second lane, while the boy came to rest in the first lane nearby. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition, per an account attributed to Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson.
The driver called 911 immediately after the crash and was not impaired, the outlet reported. Investigators have not said why the teenager was in the roadway, and authorities have not released whether any additional factors contributed to the crash.
Ramp Closed For Hours During Investigation
The crash and the ensuing investigation blocked the roadway for more than three hours before all lanes reopened later Tuesday morning. The station's report notes that the information came from a Washington State Patrol incident report along with the social media post from Trooper Johnson's account.
The stretch where the teen was hit has seen at least one other serious pedestrian collision in recent years. In February 2023, an 18-year-old Seattle woman was struck and injured while walking on SR 516 near the same I-5 off-ramp, according to the Kent Reporter.
Earlier Case Ended In Hit-And-Run Charge
In that 2023 case, the vehicle had exited southbound I-5 onto westbound SR 516 and struck the woman in the first of three lanes. The Kent Reporter detailed how the driver initially took her to St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way but left without providing identification, ultimately facing a felony hit-and-run charge. State troopers at the time described the vehicle as a white, newer four-door pickup truck, possibly a Chevy Silverado, as they sought witnesses.
There is no indication the two incidents are connected, and the evidence does not establish a broader pattern of crashes at the interchange. For now, the circumstances behind Tuesday's collision, including why the 15-year-old was standing in the roadway, remain unreleased by authorities.
