Students Celebrating Graduation Killed by Drunk Driver
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A student who was celebrating graduation from high school was killed late Wednesday when the car he was in was hit by a suspected drunk driver, who has now been arrested for investigation of vehicular homicide charges.
The crash on Interstate 5 near Southcenter Mall around 10:30 p.m. forced the closure of the southbound lanes for several hours and left three other people injured.
The boy who was killed was identified as Derek King, who was scheduled to graduate from Decatur High School in Federal Way on Saturday and would have turned 19 on Thursday.
Investigators said the Honda Civic that King and two other teens were in was rear-ended by a Ford Explorer. Thursday, troopers said the Civic had become disabled and had its emergency hazards flashing.
The force of the impact smashed in the back of the Civic, and King died at the scene.
Another 18-year-old passenger in the car was critically injured and rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The 19-year-old man who was driving the car was expected to recover.
The 50-year-old man who was driving the Explorer, Alexander E. Peder, was also taken to Harborview for treatment of injuries. He was released late Thursday morning and then arrested for investigation of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. Troopers say they believe Peder was drunk at the time of the crash.
Peder has been booked into the King County Jail and has his first court appearance scheduled for Friday.
The crash on Interstate 5 near Southcenter Mall around 10:30 p.m. forced the closure of the southbound lanes for several hours and left three other people injured.
The boy who was killed was identified as Derek King, who was scheduled to graduate from Decatur High School in Federal Way on Saturday and would have turned 19 on Thursday.
Investigators said the Honda Civic that King and two other teens were in was rear-ended by a Ford Explorer. Thursday, troopers said the Civic had become disabled and had its emergency hazards flashing.
The force of the impact smashed in the back of the Civic, and King died at the scene.
Another 18-year-old passenger in the car was critically injured and rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The 19-year-old man who was driving the car was expected to recover.
The 50-year-old man who was driving the Explorer, Alexander E. Peder, was also taken to Harborview for treatment of injuries. He was released late Thursday morning and then arrested for investigation of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. Troopers say they believe Peder was drunk at the time of the crash.
Peder has been booked into the King County Jail and has his first court appearance scheduled for Friday.
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