The driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving – Photo: Mat Hayward/Getty Images
A man from Seattle who got out of his car because it was hit by a distracted driver, was thrown off a bridge until falling into a river.
The King County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against Justin Yang Kuo, 22, after he accidentally killed 23-year-old Jordan M. Shelley while checking his vehicle on the Ship Canal Bridge.
The accident occurred in the early morning, when Jordan M. Shelley was on his way to work as an EMT, but had car trouble so he pulled over to the shoulder of Interstate 5 and called his girlfriend for help.
Justin Yang Kuo was driving south when he hit Shelley’s disabled car. The medical technician was outside his car when he hit him severely.
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According to information from the Seattle police, he explained that with the impact, Shelley was thrown over the bridge railing and fell 180 feet down into Lake Union.
#Update: SPD Divers have recovered the missing driver from the water below the bridge. WSP will conduct the crash investigation. https://t.co/OFB2kOaBiw
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) May 24, 2022
A dive team from the Seattle Police Department arrived at the scene to search for Jordan M. Shelley under the bridge. After a few hours, his body was found 25 to 30 feet underwater according to the police.
From injuries all over his body, prosecutors said he was most likely Shelley died in the accident.
Seattle Fire spokeswoman Kristin Tinsley said water rescue crews responded to the scene and divers were in the water about 15 minutes after the accident was reported, news outlet K5 reported.
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After being pulled over, Kuo told a Washington State Patrol trooper that the car in front of him suddenly moved to the left. The man looked down to adjust the radio and crashed into Shelly’s vehicle.
A police officer commented that Kuo appeared to be intoxicated. He stated that he had drunk three or four lemonades, but the breathalyzer test was above the legal limit as detailed in the official documents.
Apparently, the suspect was traveling between 65 and 70 miles per hour before the accident. Justin Yang Kuha was charged with vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving.
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