A 57-year-old Montesano man was struck and killed by a car as he was crossing Monte Elma Road early Wednesday morning.
The Montesano Police and the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office are both investigating the incident, and Montesano Police Lt. Jay Staten said the driver is being cooperative with investigators.
Grays Harbor Coroner Lane Youmans identified the man who died as Steven Auld. Staten said he lived in the mobile home park on Poplar Road, near where the accident occurred.
Auld was crossing Monte Elma Road from north to south, when he was struck a little after 7 a.m. in the westbound lane by a car driven by a 37-year-old Montesano driver heading to work.
“The driver was shaken up by the whole incident,” Staten said. “Aid arrived just prior to an on-duty officer and attempts to work on that individual were unsuccessful.”
Auld was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Staten said.
Youmans said an autopsy has been scheduled for Thursday. Investigators also closed the road for several hours on Wednesday to help map the scene. The Hoquiam Police Department helped respond and brought special mapping equipment. Critical to the investigation is why Auld was crossing the road, whether the driver made an effort to stop or was he surprised when Auld was crossing the road, and the circumstances leading up to the accident.
There was no witness to the actual accident, but one person came upon the collision after it occurred, Staten said.
“We’re trying to figure out why he was crossing the road,” Staten said. “There’s no bus stop there and no crossing there. … At this point, we’re still putting all those pieces together. We did have an earlier witness, a bus driver, who thought the victim might have been walking at Poplar and Beacon.”
Staten said the victim apparently lived alone in the mobile home park.
The accident occurred 20 feet into the city limits of Montesano, resulting in Montesano Police leading the investigation and the Sheriff’s Office assisting, Sheriff Rick Scott said.
The road was reopened before noon on Wednesday.
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