On June 25, 2019 a tragic early morning car accident took the life of a 19-year old Seattle woman – identified by police as Justina Lamphere – and critically injured her infant and toddler daughters on SR 202 near Ames Lake Road.
According to the Washington State Patrol, Lamphere was exiting a private driveway onto westbound SR 202 when her Ford Mustang was struck on the driver’s side door by a Toyota Tundra. Her vehicle rolled, left the roadway and landed in a ditch. Unfortunately, she died at the scene.
The truck also went off the road and struck a tree. The 24-year old male driver from Bothell suffered minor injuries and was taken to Harborview Medical Center. Both drivers were wearing seatbelts.
WSP Trooper Rick Johnson, said the two-year old girl was not in a carseat and was ejected from the vehicle. He said the 4-month old girl was in a rear facing infant car seat, but that it was not properly installed.
Both children were taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. Johnson said they suffered head injuries and are currently in intensive care.
Weather conditions were a foggy at the time of the accident, but Johnson said there was still visibility. SR 202 was blocked in both directions for approximately 5.5 hours while detectives conducted the investigation. The exact cause is still being investigated.
Trooper Johnson said a King County Sheriff’s Office Deputy also witnessed the collision which occurred around 4:30AM. A KCSO Peer support counselor later visited the stations of first responders who were at the scene to provide additional support.
