Woman dies in head-on Kent car crash; other driver reportedly crossed centerline while looking at phone

King County Sheriff’s Office investigators suspect distracted driving is responsible for a fatal collision Monday night in unincorporated Kent.

It is believed a 25-year-old Maple Valley man looked down at his phone as his vehicle drifted into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into another car, whose driver, a 25-year-old Federal Way woman, died at the scene, according to a Sheriff’s Office media release.

Sherri White died from injuries suffered in the accident, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, which identified White on Tuesday.

The accident occurred at about 7:50 p.m. in the 20200 block of 148th Avenue Southeast near Lake Youngs when a Ford sedan crossed the centerline and collided with a Honda Civic coming the opposite direction. The Ford driver was alone in his car.

Two passengers in the Honda were seriously injured and transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The Sheriff’s Office said the two passengers were each in their 20s but it has not released their sexes or hometowns.

The driver of the Ford, who investigators believe took his eyes off the road to look down at his phone, had no reported injury. The Sheriff’s Office major accident response and reconstruction detectives are investigating. No arrest has been made at this time.

“We at the Sheriff’s Office urge drivers to minimize distractions while driving, as this sad incident reminds us of the potential cost,” the Sheriff’s Office stated in its media release. “No text message, phone call or social media update is worth the damage done by taking your eyes off the road.”

The Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority, King County Medic One and the Renton Fire Department also responded to the accident.

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