A 20-year-old Covington man is expected to be charged with vehicular homicide after allegedly driving an Audi about 100 mph along the West Valley Highway in Kent when he collided with a vehicle driven by a Tacoma man.
Somxay Phouleuanghong, 42, died from blunt force injuries to the head and neck in the crash, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Kent Police arrested the Covington man for investigation of vehicular assault after the 3:53 a.m. April 14 crash at the intersection of South 216th Street and the West Valley Highway, aka 68th Avenue South.
Paramedics transported Phouleuanghong with life-threatening injuries to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died on April 17.
“The charge of vehicular homicide, against the offending driver, will be referred to the prosecutor’s office for review and filing,” police spokesman Jarod Kasner said in an email.
Kasner didn’t have a date for when police would refer the case to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The Covington man reportedly told officers he was late for work while speeding at about 100 mph northbound on the West Valley Highway, according to police. The posted speed is 50 mph. There is no traffic signal at South 216th Street, just south of the large South 212th Street intersection.
Phouleuanghong was at a stop sign and pulled out eastbound to get onto the West Valley Highway when the collision occurred, according to police. The Covington man suffered minor injuries.
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
