With the death of Tyson R. Brown, 32, of Port Orchard, last weekend in car accident likely involving alcohol, Kitsap County saw its eighth death this year on the road.
There was 21 in all of last year. Below is a summary of all eight, with a special thanks to Marsha Masters, local MADD chapter president, for providing the list.
January 5: Terry Thomas, 38, of Port Orchard. Thomas was hit twice by separate vehicles about 6 pm in the 1600 block of Bay Street. Stormy weather may have made it difficult for drivers to see him. Autopsy pending. Alcohol was not ruled a factor.
January 10: Gemma Zapata Collins, 30, of Bremerton. Collins was killed when she lost control on the icy road, of her 1985 Totota Corolla headed north on Bond Road (Highway 307) near Sawdust Hill Road at about 8:21 am and spun passenger-side first into a pickup truck (2002 Chevy Silverado) in the oncoming lane of traffic. Both were wearing seat belts and no alcohol or drugs were involved.
January 16: Theodore Albrecht, 76. Driving on Silverdale Way near SR 308. Seatbelt was worn, no alcohol or drugs were involved. Ruled a medical problem.
January 21: Christopher Anthony Brooks, 18, of Port Orchard, was going north on Phillips Road about 1:20 a.m. when he crested a hill near the 5100 block of Phillips Road when the 1965 Chevrolet pickup began to leave the roadway. The brakes locked and the truck collided with a power pole on the passenger side. No alcohol, seatbelt was worn (no shoulder belt because of the age of the truck).
January 23: Jordan Michael Jimenez, 20, of Port Orchard was driving north in the 6000 block of Old Clifton Road near the Bremerton MotorSports Park at 10:30 a.m. when his car left the roadway on the right, hit an embankment, then rolled several times before coming to rest near a power pole on the left side of the road. Excessive speed was a factor, but no alcohol was involved, and a seatbelt was worn. (His car is pictured.)
February 7: Anthony “Tony” Charles Podominick, 80, of Poulsbo, was driving south on Widme Road near the intersection with Totten Road about 8:30 am when his car 1986 LTD, missed a near-90 degree turn in the roadway. His car plunged down a 50-foot gully and hit a large tree. His seatbelt was worn. No alcohol was involved.
February 18: James Carlson Hutchins, 36 years old of Poulsbo driving 1988 Ford truck west on Rude Road, ran through the stop sign at Clear Creek Road, struck a street sign and then a large tree. Died on March 3, 2007. There was no odor of alcohol on his person, and it is unknown if he used his seatbelt.
April 6: Tyson R. Brown, 32, of Port Orchard was the passenger in a vehicle driven by a 25 year old Port Orchard man driving a 2004 Ford Ranger. They were traveling southbound at approximately 11:30 pm on Glenwood Road SW just north of SW Lake Helena Road when it failed to negotiate a curve striking the trees. The cab and the bed of the pickup truck separated. Evidence of excessive speed and alcohol was evident at the scene. Brown was not wearing a seatbelt, deputies said.
Any accident involving alcohol and/or excessive speed my sympathy runs extremely thin.