The crash of a Seattle Uber that ended with a fiery explosion Monday night at a North Seattle gas station has claimed the life of a man whose car was hit by the SUV blocks before it came to rest.
SeattleP-I.com reported Wednesday that the 35-year-old man was pronounced dead at Harborview Medical Center after dying sometime Tuesday. The man was traveling north on Holman Road in a 1997 Honda Accord when he was hit by a 2007 Nissan Xterra, also headed north, being driven by a 60-year-old Uber driver.
The P-I reported that the Honda went sideways into a tree that cut his car in half, and that the victim was trapped in the vehicle.
The Uber, which was also carrying a 40-year-old passenger, went two blocks further before crashing through the pumps and setting off a fireball at a Shell station at Holman Road and Fourth Avenue Northwest. Video of the gas station crash went viral on Tuesday, and shows the SUV narrowly missing a person at the pumps before the explosion.
#BREAKING: @PhotogGriff on scene of a 2-car collision @ Holman Rd NW and 4th NW. 1 car lost engine block, another ended up at gas station pic.twitter.com/uFoaLBl9Yi
— KIRO 7 (@KIRO7Seattle) March 14, 2017
A SUV hits a gas pump and catches fire at Holman and 4th ave nw. #komonews pic.twitter.com/BIGlGJR2nH
— Thomas Lin (@TLinkomo4) March 14, 2017
The P-I said that the woman in the Uber suffered minor injuries and the driver was not hurt. He was checked for signs of impairment and a blood sample was taken. The P-I said the man was interviewed and released pending blood lab results, according to police.
“Hearing this news is deeply upsetting,” Uber safety spokeswoman Tracey Breeden said in a statement to GeekWire. “Our hearts and thoughts go out to the grieving family impacted by this tragic event.”
