Police search for driver in deadly I-5 hit-and-run
May 31, 2026, 12:32 PM | Updated: 12:59 pm
Troopers closed four lanes of southbound I-5 following a deadly hit & run collision early Sunday. (Photo: Wa. State Dept. of Transportation)
(Photo: Wa. State Dept. of Transportation)
Authorities are working to track down a driver who drove away from a deadly collision on I-5 early Sunday morning.
The person being sought is one of two drivers who hit a man as he tried to cross the freeway on foot near the Mercer St. exit.
According to the Washington State Patrol, at around 1:00 a.m., a 53-year-old man was attempting to make it across all southbound lanes, from the left shoulder to the right.
Police say the first driver that struck the man, a 64-year-old Stanwood man in a 2014 Honda Civic, did stop after hitting him.
But troopers say a second driver who also hit the man did not stop.
That driver continued southbound on the freeway.
Medics arrived shortly after the man was hit.
They pronounced him dead at the scene.
The investigation into the fatal collision resulted in several lanes being closed for nearly three hours.
Troopers shut down four lanes of travel.
The right lane and the Mercer St. exit remained open.
According to the Washington Dept. of Transportation, the lane closures resulted in a three-mile freeway backup.
Police are asking for help finding the driver who took off.
They don’t have much to go on.
Right now, it’s unclear what type of make or model the vehicle is, but they do know that it was silver in color.
Police say the driver of the second vehicle, if eventually tracked down, will likely be facing a charge of felony hit-and-run.
Investigators are asking anyone with dash cam video, anyone who may know the suspect or their vehicle, or anyone with knowledge of what took place during the collision, to contact the Washington State Patrol.
