Two more fatalities on Kitsap’s roads occurred over the weekend. I am attaching a list that shows each of them on the link below.
Let this be a reminder: be safe on the roads. I think Kitsap County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Merrill summed it up best:
“Slow down, don’t drink and drive, and make sure you always wear your seatbelt,” he said.
Jan. 31: Jack Pettis, 59, of Port Angeles died Feb. 2 from
complications after a crash at the Highway 3 and 305 interchange in
Poulsbo. The driver had lost control of the vehicle in which Pettis
was riding.
Feb. 13: Lester R. Mollett, 51, died near the airport on Highway 3 after his car crossed the center line and hit a motorhome head-on. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash.
April 15: Tanner Dunivent, 17, lost control of a car on Burley-Olalla Highway at Shady Glenn Avenue, crashed, and died the next day. Speed was believed to be a factor in the crash.
June 17: Merrie L. Stoeckmann, 84, was killed and her husband George was injured when the woman pulled out in front of a speeding 20-year-old driver at the intersection of Widme and Lincoln in Poulsbo.
July 19: Cindy Morrissey, 47, was riding a motorcycle on Highway 16 on the Highway 166 overpass when she came upon stopped traffic and had to lay down her bike. She was thrown into the air, and died later that day from her injuries. Speed was a factor in the accident.
Aug. 1: Albert Rios, 23, was entering Highway 3 from Highway 308 when he lost control, left the roadway and hit a tree. Speed was ruled a factor in the crash.
Aug. 5: Jason Cartmel, 35, crossed the centerline of Highway 3 at Equestrian Drive and hit another car. He died at the scene. Alcohol was ruled a factor.
Aug. 8: Elizabeth Morrison, 78, left the roadway on NE Jefferson Point Road near Newellhurst Circle NE and hit several mail and newspaper boxes, eventually coming to a stop in a drainage ditch. She died at the scene.
Aug. 21: Anthony Garecht, 21, and Hope Graham, 21, were driving on Kingsway and failed to make a curve to the left onto Lake Tahuyeh Lake Road. Graham, the passenger, died at the scene and Garecht died at the hospital Aug. 23. Speed was ruled a factor in the crash.
Sept. 5: Marjorie Acker, 50, was killed after her car crossed the centerline of Highway 3 at Thompson Road and hit a semi-truck head-on. Three grandchildren in the car were also injured.
Sept 8: Christopher A. Gotz, 40, is believed to have crashed near the intersection of Tulin and Arness roads in Indianola. It appeared he’d crashed a motorcycle, but his body wasn’t discovered until Sept. 17.
Oct. 18: Jason K. Rose, 23, and Andrew V. Otis, 27, died from injuries sustained when their car slammed into the back of a truck on Bond Road near Sawdust Hill Road. Rose died Oct. 19, and Otis died Oct. 20. The accident is still being investigated.
Oct 21: Vanessa Taylor, 21, was killed when the driver of the car she was riding in went off the road, rolled, and hit a power pole on Seabeck Highway near Camp Wesley Harris. Alcohol is suspected to be a factor in the crash.
Oct. 27: Travor Olson, 23, of North Kitsap, was killed and a woman injured when a small pickup truck in which they were traveling just east of Naval Base Kitsap in Bangor left the road and landed on its top in a field. The accident occurred near the intersection of Sherman Hill Road and Dewdrop Lane.
Oct. 29: Larry McMullen, 47, of Bainbridge Island was killed at about 3 a.m. on Grand Avenue, just north of Yeomalt Point Drive, when his 1988 Porsche 928 failed to negotiate a turn and his car hit two large trees. McMullen wasn’t wearing his seatbelt, and alcohol and speed were ruled factors in the crash.
About tragic accidents,We
lost a 19 year old child
in 2001 from high speed.
He was a passenger. Because of the driver’s age we have forgiven him, but it took
4 years. He was convicted
after an ugly trial of vehicular homicide. I feel
strongly that it would be a great benefit in light of all the youth that have been killed the last 5 years in accidents from speed or alcohol, to have more projects at school where the family’s of both sides can speak at the high school about what a tragic loss it is and also show the car.Also have the
person responsible for the accident and a family member or two talk also. I really feel it would make an impact.
Tracey, We also lost a child in a crash not too long ago. I can’t express my sorrow to the extent I feel it through this keyboard…I am sorry for your loss.
There are speakers in our county and one source of contact is the Kitsap County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, (360) 692-4623. We have been to a number of the schools and will go any time we are asked. We were very involved with the Mock Crash events that were held at nearly every high school in 2005. We speak at Victim Impact Panels twice every month to youth and adult offenders. We have been out to Bangor and PSNS in the last year as well. We will be participating in the Kyle Sizemore Memorial Tournament (3rd one) this spring. (There were 17 youth baseball and fastpitch teams last year). We had a youth conference recently at the fairgrounds and had students from many of the schools. We also have a crashed car in which 2 innocent victims were killed and have taken it to many events. We will be getting another crashed car in the near future. We will and have even gone out to other counties to speak or do whatever we can. Although most of the speakers in this area are either victims themselves or are family members of those killed, there are speakers who have caused their own crash and injuries because of DUI. I wish that I could say that I know of a speaker who has caused a crash and hurt or killed someone else, but I don’t. I may be wrong on that and maybe someone else knows somebody. I hear offenders say how they can better serve us all by becoming speakers instead of going to prison as they are pleading their case to the judge. They must all still be in prison…
Speaking about our tragedy is not an easy thing to do. It takes a great deal to relive events out loud to a room with 200 strangers. Sometimes it takes a good deal of time to recover again after a speaking event. Most of us have lost our loved ones in the last 3 years. We do it because we are passionate about making a difference. In my case, I can’t do anything for my son. He is dead. But if I can speak to a room with 200 participants and cause one person to change their behavior than maybe just maybe the life of someone else will be saved. The thing is, we never know how many lives are saved by telling our story, but we sure know how many are lost every single day.
Speakers are always needed and welcomed no matter what side of the story they come from. I also must say that for me, to see someone who may be suffering from the horrible disease of drug/alcohol addiction make a change towards sobriety is awesome. You see, I attended a victim impact panel nearly 9 years ago after committing the crime of DUI. I have not had a drink since. The speaker that night made an impact on me and I consider him to be one of the many many people who gave me the courage to change. I wish I could have spent many more years with my son as a clean and sober parent, but I will cherish every single moment that I did get to have him with me.
Well said, Tracey and TJ…the pain you live with comes through to us.
You are saving untold lives by sharing your stories…by being activists….you are keeping others from your life of pain, of loss … I am sorry for your loss and applaud your work to save others.
I cannot imagine the agony of losing a child.
God Bless.
Sharon