Driver killed after running into Highway 395 traffic north of Tri-Cities

An Everett man died early Thursday after running into traffic in the northbound lanes of Highway 395 south of Connell.

Tony E. Hicks, 46, was driving south on the highway in Toyota Corolla when he pulled over about five miles south of Connell, the Washington State Patrol said in a traffic memo.

Hicks got out and dashed into the northbound lanes at 6:20 p.m. and was hit by a Dodge Journey heading north, said the WSP.

Hicks died at the scene. The SUV driver, William A Crompton, 65, of Milton-Freewater, Ore., was taken to Lourdes Medical Center with minor injuries.

Trooper Daniel Mosqueda told the Tri-City Herald that troopers found Hicks’ SUV still running on the side of the road with his cellphone in the center console.

The crash shut down one northbound lane of the divided highway for much of Thursday morning.