Daughter of good Samaritan killed on Highway 530 explains why mom may have stopped to help

ARLINGTON, Wash. -- All she wanted to do was help a little girl involved in a crash. But it ended up costing her life.

Monday, we heard from the daughter of that woman hit and killed on Highway 530.

It was dark, rainy and dangerous on SR 530 near Arlington Saturday night. A drunken driver with a 9-year-old girl in the truck hit the guard rail. Darrington resident Trina Morgan stopped to help.



“It wasn’t safe for her to get out of her car. She probably should have just stayed in her car,” said her daughter, Felicia Misanes.

While Morgan carried that girl from the crash to her car, she was struck and killed by another car. The 9-year-old suffered minor injuries. Misanes now has to explain to her children why grandma is gone.

“She used to come over every day to visit the girls. It’s going to be really hard not seeing her,” said Misanes.

That same night on Highway 2, several other good Samaritans stopped at an accident to help a truck that blew a tire.  Another car crashed into that broken down truck and sent the two to the hospital. State Patrol says when you see an accident, call 911 first.

“It’s not a fault of their own, they are trying to help,” said Sgt. Keith Leary with WSP.

However, on busy roads and highways it’s safer to stay in the car.

“We have emergency lights, we have flares, cones, traffic vest and all these things that make us visible on the road,” said Leary.

Misanes says her mom probably stopped because she lost her younger brother to a similar accident 20 years ago and wanted to make sure everyone was OK. She also doesn’t blame the driver that hit her and killed her mom.

“That’s not what she would want and that’s not what I want,” said Misanes.

It’s a small comfort to Misanes that her mom died helping someone in need.

“Even though I’m the only child I feel like I’m not the only kid that is grieving right now,” said Misanes.

But she struggles knowing it’s something that could have been avoided