Driver plunges 80 feet from highway, killing 18-year-old passenger, WA cops say

CLARIFICATION: Police identified the 18-year-old as a “male teen” in a news release. They clarified his age to McClatchy News in an Oct. 20 email.

The updated story is below.

A 16-year-old driver plunged 80 feet from a highway exit ramp, killing an 18-year-old passenger and injuring two others, Washington police said.

The crash happened after 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, the Seattle Police Department said in a news release.

The teen girl was exiting State Route 99 at Harbor Island when she hit the ramp barrier and then plunged 80 feet off the highway, police said.

Police said the vehicle landed upside down.

The 18-year-old man was thrown out of the vehicle during the crash and taken to a hospital where he later died from his injuries, police said.

The driver was found trapped in the vehicle, and two other 17-year-old male passengers got out of the vehicle on their own, police said.

These three were taken to a hospital with “serious or critical injuries,” police said.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash.

This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 10:13 AM.