Driver runs overs man lying in Thurston County road, Sheriff’s Office says
A dispute turned into tragedy overnight Tuesday after a man got out of a truck on a south Thurston County Road, then was hit by another driver in the area, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and the coroner.
The 44-year-old man from Centralia died, Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock said. He said the man’s medical exam is today (Tuesday). The exam will have to determine whether the man, who was lying down in the road, died before the collision or as a result of it, Warnock said.
Around midnight Tuesday, two men were working out of a truck on Moon Road, just north of U.S. Highway 12, Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Mike Brooks said.
As they drove down the road, the passenger allegedly became “unruly” and was dropped off in the middle of the road while the other man drove off, Brooks said.
The driver was training the passenger on a delivery route, according to details shared by Warnock.
The driver returned to the passenger’s vehicle to drop off his work-related items, and then resumed his route. As he drove down the same road, he could now see the man – the former passenger – lying in the road.
Meanwhile, a second driver in her early 60s suddenly appeared, and although the first driver tried to warn that person about the man in the road, she hit him, Brooks said.
Warnock said the driver flashed his high beams at her, and she responded by flashing her high beams at him.
The crash remains under investigation, Brooks said.
