Kirkland police are investigating a fatal car-pedestrian crash in a church parking lot where a woman backed over an acquaintance.
Officers say the crash occurred just after noon Monday in the parking lot of the Salt House Church, adjacent to the Helen’s Place shelter, where the driver and victim both lived.
Investigators say the driver and two other women had been on errands and returned to the shelter, stopping at a temporary parking spot in the church lot to unload the vehicle. One of the passengers went to the rear of the car, which suddenly backed over her and collided with the church building, police said. The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the driver was taken to an area hospital and treated for minor injuries. She reported that she believed the car was in drive when she accelerated. The Kirkland Police Fatal Investigation Team is investigating to determine whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the incident.