Captain Jason Berry
Government and Media Relations
(360) 596-4010 – office
(360) 596-4015 – fax
http://www.wsp.wa.gov
*** For Immediate Release***
Date:
October 19, 2010
Contact:
Trooper Brandy Kessler
Phone:
(253) 606-1796
E-mail:
brandy.kessler@wsp.wa.gov
Speed Kills Teen in Thurston County
Another teen was killed this evening in Thurston County as a result of speeding.
At 6:55 p.m., William Johnston, 18 years old from Olympia, was speeding in his 1998 Toyota Camry on Hawks Prairie Rd. in Thurston County and lost control of his car. Johnston left the roadway and hit a power pole and then crashed into a cast iron fence. Tragically, Johnston died at the scene.
His two passengers, Mahan E. Mitchell and Forest Graber both 17 and also from Olympia, were transported from the scene with minor injuries.
Drugs and alcohol were not a factor in this preventable and devastating collision. The roadway was closed for 3 hours during investigation of the scene.
The Washington State Patrol urges teen drivers to think about the family and friends of this young man who will never be coming home and realize that they themselves could suffer the same fate if they choose to drive unsafely.