TACOMA, Wash — A distracted driver struck and killed a 78-year-old man changing a flat tire on the side of Interstate 5 in Tacoma on Monday morning.
The driver was arrested for vehicular homicide. She admitted to being distracted by her cell phone when she hit the person, according to Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper Robert Reyer.
The incident happened on the right shoulder of I-5 on the collector-distributor section at South 38th Street, according to Reyer.
If drivers need to change a tire on the side of the road and feel unsafe or would like Washington State Patrol to help with traffic control, Reyer said they should call WSP. Either a trooper or the Washington State Department of Transportation’s incident response team can respond.