3 children, 1 mother killed, multiple injuries in major vehicle accident in Renton

A “serious vehicle accident” involving four cars at the intersection of 140th Avenue and Southeast 192nd Street in the Fairwood area of Renton killed four people on Tuesday, Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority Division Chief Pat Pawlak said.

Of the four people killed, three were children and one was a woman, according to a news release from the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) on Wednesday. The woman was 38 years old, one girl was 13 years old, one girl was 12 years old and a boy was 12 years old.

The woman is Andrea Hudson, as seen in a GoFundMe set up by her brother-in-law, Ben Hudson.

Ben wrote that Andrea was driving her van with her two children and three other children to a homeschool activity when it was hit by another driver who was allegedly speeding at 90 mph.

Andrea is the mother of two children who are critically injured.

They were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and are “in the ICU fighting for their lives,” wrote Ben.

The children who were killed were not related to Andrea but were the children of her close friends, according to the GoFundMe.

“Andrea Hudson was an amazing mother, devoted wife, beloved daughter, and dear friend to so many. She was a ray of light to those around her, and always had a smile on her face. The most
patient and loving mother a child could hope to have,” wrote Ben in the GoFundMe.

She homeschooled all three of her children and dedicated her life to her family. She enjoyed spending time adventuring with them in nature and was an avid health enthusiast and cook. Her absence has left a hole in our hearts and will be felt by many,” he continued.

Ben wrote that he set up the GoFundMe to help his brother, Abe Hudson, cover medical and funeral costs.

KCSO said detectives identified the causing driver as an 18-year-old man. He was among the injured and is currently being treated at Harborview Medical Center. Deputies said he is under guard and criminal charges are pending.

According to Pawlak, another person suffered minor injuries in the crash.

Investigators have been left to piece together what led to the accident. Speed may have been a factor, but currently, not much more is known, KIRO Newsradio reported.

KCSO Sgt. Eric White has asked that if any person or people witnessed the accident and has not yet come forward, call the KCSO at 206-296-3311.

Previous information about the accident

Earlier Tuesday afternoon, Renton Firefighters (@RentonFireL864), published multiple posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, providing updates on the accident and stated four people were critically injured.

UPDATE #4 Sadly this is now confirmed to be a Fatality Accident. Command reporting total patient count 3 Striped (DOA) and 4 RED (Critical). @KingCoSheriff will be lead PD agency. A PIO assisting from @PugetSoundFire is onscene for media inquires. https://t.co/PoRzL4dfAO

— Renton Firefighters (@RentonFireL864) March 19, 2024

Renton Firefighters posted additional information just after 12:50 p.m., in its initial X post, stating that the first engine that arrived on the scene reported multiple vehicles with heavy damage.

Several minutes before 1 p.m., Renton Firefighters reported on X that there were four critical patients and extrication was needed.

At 1:15 p.m., Renton Firefighters confirmed on X three people had died and four others were injured.

In what was classified on X as its final update at 1:23 p.m., the Renton Firefighters stated that “all patients are being transported to an area Level 1 trauma center and the roadway will be closed for undetermined amount of time.”

The Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority posted on X Tuesday afternoon it is on the scene of the accident with Renton Regional Fire Authority and King County Medic One.

Puget Sound Fire wrote on X at 3:34 p.m. that fire departments have left the scene. However, the intersection of SE 192nd Street and 140th Avenue SE “will be closed for several hours while KCSO conducts their investigation.”

Contributing: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio and Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.