Falling tree kills 23-year-old Pasco driver on Western Washington highway
A 23-year-old Pasco man died on a King County highway when a tree fell on his car Wednesday night.
Ricardo Lopez Gaytan was heading east in a 2020 Honda Civic on Highway 18 shortly before 9 p.m., said a Washington State Patrol memo.
He was west of Issaquah Hobart Road when a tree came crashing down from the south side of the highway, said WSP.
The tree hit the barrier on the side of the road and splintered, then smashed Lopez Gaytan’s Civic, the state patrol said. He was alone in the car.
The car continued for a short distance before it came to rest in the right lane and shoulder.
The eastbound lanes of the highway were closed for about four hours.