SEATTLE — A Seattle man has been charged with vehicular homicide and reckless driving after allegedly causing a crash that killed one person on the Ship Canal Bridge.
The King County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges Thursday against Justin Yang Kuo, 22.
The crash happened Tuesday around 4:30 a.m. Jordan M. Shelley, 23, was on his way to work as an EMT when he had car trouble. Shelley pulled over to the shoulder on Interstate 5 and called his girlfriend to ask her for help.
Kuo was driving southbound when he allegedly struck Shelley’s disabled car. Shelley was outside his car when the crash happened, and police say Shelley was launched over the guard railing, falling 180 feet into Lake Union.
Kuo told a Washington State Patrol trooper that the car in front of him moved to the left suddenly. He said he looked down to adjust the radio and crashed into Shelley’s vehicle, according to probable cause documents.
A trooper said Kuo appeared to be impaired, and Kuo later told police he had had three to four Mike’s Hard Lemonades before the crash. Kuo’s breathalyzer test at the scene was above the legal limit of 0.08, according to probable cause documents.
Kuo told police he was traveling 65 to 70 miles per hour before the crash.
A dive team with the Seattle Police Department searched for Shelley under the bridge. His body was found about 25 to 30 feet under the water, according to police.
Based on his wounds, prosecutors said Shelley is believed to have died in the crash.
The crash caused southbound I-5 to be shut down for about three and a half hours during the Tuesday morning commute.