Man struck by car in Auburn, taken to Harborview

A man was seriously injured Monday afternoon when a passing vehicle struck him as he stepped out of his vehicle to investigate problems with his car, police and fire officials said.

The collision happened about 2 p.m. at South 277th Street on the eastbound bridge over the Green River, police Cmdr. Mark Caillier said. A chain of collisions occurred when another vehicle ran into the back of the passing vehicle, and a fourth vehicle hit the third vehicle.

“There’s really no shoulder on the bridge up there,” Caillier said. “There’s nowhere to pull over if he stalled on the bridge. It caused a little bit of a chain reaction.”

The man, in his 40s, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for his injuries, Valley Regional Fire Authority spokeswoman Kimberly Terhune said. One of the passengers in the other vehicles, a male in his 20s, was taken to Valley Medical Center in Auburn for neck pain.

Before being taken to Harborview, the man was alert and communicating with first responders, Caillier said.

The speed limit in the area is 35 mph, Caillier said.

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Man struck by car in Auburn, taken to Harborview."