Pedestrian struck, dragged by truck in horrific hit-and-run fatal accident

SEATTLE -- A pedestrian was struck and killed instantly by a large truck Thursday afternoon in First Hill, police said.

The incident occurred shortly after 3:30 p.m, police said.

"A pedestrian was struck by a commercial-type truck," Seattle police spokesman Drew Fowler said.  "This was, sadly, a hit-and-run. The person was struck at 9th and James (Street) and drugged during the collision. The person was killed instantly. We are still trying to gather information. We don’t yet know the identity or sex of the victim involved."



However, a witness who was walking down James Street at the time said the victim was a woman.  As the truck was driving down James Street toward the water, "I noticed there was a woman who was trapped underneath the back tires of the truck on the passenger side. The truck kept going. She was dragged about halfway down the block. She became dislodged and the truck kept driving."

She described it as a large, lime green truck.

"I was very shocked," the witness said. "I thought maybe it was fake, couldn't believe it was actually happening. It was very hard to see, very gruesome. Somebody tried to chase down the truck ... but the truck at that point was already gone."



A search for the truck and its driver is under way.

Fowler said, "It's possible with the size of the truck, someone may have hit the pedestrian and may have not even known it."

He urged the driver of any large truck that had been in that area at around that time to "step forward" and call the police department.

James Street between 8th and 9th Avenues was reopened to traffic Thursday night.



This story will be updated as more information becomes available.