News

Truck Plows into Seattle Crowd Killing Two; Injuring Two

Alexa Vaughn and Mike Carter

03/26/2013

March 26--The 50-year-old man arrested for allegedly driving his pickup into a group of pedestrians near Eckstein Middle School on Monday, killing two people and leaving a woman and her infant clinging to life, has at least two drunken-driving arrests, according to court documents

Mark W. Mullan, 50, was booked into the King County Jail Monday evening for investigation of vehicular homicide, according to jail logs.

Seattle Municipal Court records show Mullan, who is active in youth baseball, was arrested on Dec. 26 in Seattle for DUI and again on Jan. 14 in Snohomish County. Washington State Patrol records indicate he was driving the same vehicle -- a black Chevrolet pickup registered in his name -- when he was arrested in December. That crime involved a hit-and-run and property damage as well, according to citation information.

A review of Seattle municipal- court records indicates Mullan has a long history of traffic violations dating back to a citation for inattentive driving in 1991, a red-light violation in 1997 and speeding citations in 2001, 2003 and 2010.

Monday's accident horrified witnesses who reported seeing bodies thrown into the air. Killed were a man and woman, 66 and 68. A 33-year-old woman and her 10-day old infant were knocked to the curb, where firefighters struggled to revive the child. Both were rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where they were in critical condition.

At the accident scene, police led a distraught Mullan away in handcuffs. Police said he stopped after the accident and was cooperative.

At one point, Mullan sat on the curb, his head in his hands, with sheet-covered bodies in the roadway just a few yards away. A police officer stood nearby.

His sister-in-law, Megan Mullan, said the family was heartbroken at the news. She said she recognized his pickup in the news coverage.

"He had struggled and struggled with the bottle," she said. "He's a terrific guy but he couldn't stop drinking.

"We were all afraid he was going to kill himself, but never imagined this. We are all just sick, sick, sick over this," she said.

She said Mullan was "a nice guy" and active in the North Seattle Pony League youth baseball association.

A department's drug- and alcohol-impairment-detection officers interviewed Mullan at the scene and it was one of the officers who led him away in handcuffs.

In a statement issued last night, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said, "Today's collision on our streets is shocking and tragic. My thoughts are with the victims and their families and friends."

At the scene, the infant was administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation by Seattle Fire Department medics, according to witnesses. Kappel said the young woman, who was apparently carrying the infant, suffered a head injury.

Seattle Fire Department spokesman Kyle Moore said the first responders were shaken by the scene.

"These are family members, fathers, mothers and they have kids, and it hits them hard," he said. "You do your professional job while you're treating these patients and taking care of the situation, but they're people, too, and it affects them."

The fire department dispatched multiple engines and rescue units to the intersection of 33rd Avenue Northeast and Northeast 75th Street at 4:16 p.m.

Lila Garner, a neighbor who said she was among the first on the scene, said she saw the bodies and thought there had been a shooting because of recent events across the country.

Garner said the younger woman, who apparently had been carrying the baby in an infant sling, was thrown with the child onto the curb.

Lacia Lynne Bailey, who lives at the intersection of the accident, said that the dead man and woman were the in-laws of the injured woman.

Bailey said she had chatted with the group less than a minute before the accident. The group marveled at Bailey's newborn pet goat, she said.

"We were just bantering and joking and having a beautiful day," Bailey said.

When the group was hit, Bailey said that as she called 911 on her cellphone she had to run into traffic to keep cars from running over the bodies.

Seattle police said the truck was traveling west on 75th and apparently drove into the pedestrians who were crossing the street northbound on 33rd Avenue Northeast. The accident occurred just in front of a sign saying, "End School Zone."

It was not clear whether excessive speed was involved in the accident. Neighbors have complained about the busy thoroughfare.

Kirsten Haug found out what happened as she went to pick up her 14-year-old son from soccer practice at Eckstein. She said there aren't enough stop signs on 75th. "People fly down this street all the time," Haug said. "They'll be going 50 miles per hour while I'm going 35."

Deputy Police Chief Nick Metz said the mayor and department already have been talking about "increasing safety" along the street.

Haug said there was no pedestrian crosswalk where the people were struck.

Detectives were seen examining damage to the right-front portion of a black Chevrolet Silverado pickup at the scene.

Haug said the witness speculated that the driver may not have seen the pedestrians as he came up over he crest of a hill on 75th as he approached the school.

Alexa Vaughn: avaughn@seattletimes.com or 206-464-2515. Reporters Lornet Turnbull and Emily Heffter contributed to this report.