Drivers at center of fatal Olympia crash stayed at the scene, cooperated with police
The two drivers involved in the crash in downtown Olympia that killed two women last week remained at the scene and have been cooperating with police after it, a spokesman for the department said Tuesday.
Police Lt. Paul Lower shared that information to counter some misinformation he had seen online that described the incident as a hit-and-run wreck. It was not, he said.
The drivers, both adult men, did not leave and have cooperated with investigators, Lower said. There also was no indication of intoxication, he said.
About 5 p.m. July 9, a car and truck crashed in the area of Fifth Avenue and Simmons Street near Capitol Lake.
Preliminary information about the crash suggested that the truck had crashed into the two women, but it was the car that careened onto the sidewalk and killed the two women, Lower said.
The car was a Lexus GS 350 and the truck a Ford F-150 pick-up truck, Lower said.
The two women who died have been identified as Joy Ezindu, 71, of Tumwater, and Carla Gonzales, 62, of Olympia. They died from multiple blunt force injuries that were caused when the vehicle struck them, Coroner Gary Warnock previously said.
A narrative of the crash still is not available and Lower said the investigation still is weeks away from a resolution because some evidence needs to be sent to outside labs for evaluation.
“We are in contact with the families and are keeping them apprised of the investigation,” he said.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 11:28 AM.
