A man from British Columbia was struck and killed, and a Lopez Island teen remains in a Seattle hospital in the wake a deadly collision Sunday afternoon on Lopez Sound Road.
Paul John Jaholkowsky, 26, was southbound and jogging on Lopez Sound Road at about 2:30 p.m. when, according to local authorities, he was struck head-on by a Chevy sedan driven by a 15-year-old Lopez boy who, along with a 17-year-old friend in the front passenger seat, was headed north at a high-rate of speed. Authorities believe that Jaholkowsky died instantly based on the speed at which the sedan was traveling and the force it would have delivered.
“He probably died on impact,” Sheriff Bill Cumming said. “Our investigation is still ongoing but I think it’s safe to say the speed was excessive.”
Jaholkowsky, a resident of Abbortsford, B.C., was pronounced dead at the scene. He had been visiting the island along with a friend who, Cumming said, identified Jaholkowsky following the deadly collision.
Moments before Jaholkowsky was struck and killed, a Seattle family of four, also southbound at the time, narrowly escaped being mowed down as the 1974 Chevy Nova came up over a slight rise in the road and was bearing down in their direction. The sedan barreled through the family, clipping the couple’s 7-year-old daughter, who was later flown to Harborview Medical Center with wrist and hand injuries, and continued on. The sedan then struck Jaholkowsky, the driver lost control, and the Chevy then slammed twice into an embankment before coming to a stop.
As of Monday, Cumming said the 17-year-old passenger was in Harborview Medical Center and the extent of his injuries were not known. The boy struck the windshield with his head and was also thrown from the vehicle when the sedan slammed into the embankment. The 15-year-old, allegedly behind the wheel at the time of the fatal collision, was released to his parents late Sunday and charges are pending.
Cumming said though the 15-year had a learners’ permit, state law still prohibits him from driving solely with a chaperone 17 years of age.
Cumming said neither alcohol or drugs appears to have played a role in causing the deadly crash. It would seem that in this case, he noted, that a combination of speed and inexperience are likely to blame. He noted that neither teen was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
