Driver parked 400 feet from fatal Pierce County crash. He’s now charged
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- A 49-year-old man is charged for leaving the scene of a fatal crash in Parkland.
- Michael James Allen struck a pedestrian on Pacific Avenue in March.
- Allen parked about 400 feet away and lied to investigators, court records say.
A 49-year-old man has been charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash after striking a pedestrian crossing a heavily trafficked Parkland roadway in March, court records show.
Michael James Allen was charged this month in Pierce County Superior Court with failing to remain at an accident resulting in death. He was arraigned on Wednesday when a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. He was ordered to be released on personal recognizance pending criminal case proceedings, according to court records.
Allen, an Ellensburg resident, was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee in the left lane on southbound state Route 7, or Pacific Avenue, when he hit a man crossing the road from west to east shortly after 7 p.m. on March 3. The victim was using an unmarked section of the roadway, less than 100 feet from a marked and lighted crosswalk, and bystanders had yelled at him not to walk into traffic prior to the crash, according to a Washington State Patrol investigative report.
Allen, who acknowledged driving with a suspended license, didn’t stop to render aid after striking the man near 126th Street East and was reported as fleeing the scene, the report said. A witness told law enforcement the jeep stopped for roughly a minute at the crash site before driving off.
Authorities found the Jeep parked and unoccupied on the northbound shoulder approximately 400 feet from the wreck and were unable to locate the driver until Allen approached state troopers standing near the vehicle, according to the report. When asked about damage to the front of the Jeep, Allen allegedly attributed it to “4-wheeling” before subsequently admitting to hitting the victim, the report said.
In an interview on March 3, Allen told law enforcement that he initially lied about the Jeep’s damage because he had been scared and later said he didn’t think authorities would believe him, according to the report. He said he stood with bystanders on a sidewalk after the crash to provide room for people who were rendering aid to the victim.
After parking the Jeep, Allen told investigators, “I ran back up there (to the crash scene)…and all I wanted to do was save that man.”
“Allen admitted he was standing on the opposite side of the roadway from his Jeep and watched officers as they approached it,” the report said. “Allen told himself to go over there and admit it was his Jeep. Allen continued to explain he was still in shock and ‘it’s on my hands.’”
Alcohol or drug impairment was not observed to be a factor in the crash, according to the report.
The charge Allen faces, which is a class B felony, accuses him of not immediately stopping nor returning or remaining at the scene of a crash until all statutory requirements were fulfilled, including providing his personal information to crash attendees and rendering assistance to an injured person, court records show.
The victim, reportedly from Spanaway, is identified only by his last name in court records. No record of his identity being released could be found Thursday on the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office website.
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 1:54 PM.
