BURST
A Surrey man has died after he was hit by a pickup truck during a long-distance relay race in Washington State.
According to Washington State Patrol, Hui Li, 55, was running southbound on Highway 20 near Frostad Road on Whidbey Island when he was struck by a pickup truck, also heading southbound, just after 3:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Li was participating in the two-day Ragnar Road Northwest Passage race held last weekend.
He was taken to hospital in Seattle but died of his injuries Sunday night.
Washington State Patrol spokesman Brad Bulloch said the cause of the collision appears to be pedestrian error.
“The pedestrian had stepped out of the designated area for runners” and was struck by the vehicle, he said.
Bulloch said he was not aware of the setup at that particular stretch of the road where the collision occurred, but said that at busier sections, cones had been set up on the shoulder of the road and signs had been posted with directions telling runners where to go.
The driver, a 41-year-old Everett woman, was co-operative and agreed to a voluntary blood draw to test for impairment, said Bulloch. Drugs, alcohol or speed were not considered factors in the collision.
The race route covered 322 kilometres starting from Peace Arch park in Blaine to Whidbey Island. The collision occurred about 60 miles north of Whidbey Island fairgrounds, where the race ended.
In a statement on its social media page, organizers said they were “heartbroken” over the tragic incident and had been in touch with Li’s family.
“The weight of this tragedy is deeply felt throughout our organization and the wider running community,” said the statement. “We are working with local authorities as they continue their continuing investigation. We will not be providing further details at this time.”
On Sunday, a cyclist was killed in a collision with a vehicle while riding in a GranFondo event near Penticton . Two other cyclists were seriously injured and taken to hospital.
Organizers in that incident said they were co-operating with police.