Maple Valley man drives wrong way, causes crash on state Route 18

The crash occurred on Sunday night near Hobart

A 50-year-old Kent man died in a wrong-way, head-on crash Sunday night on Highway 18, just east of Hobart.

The man was driving at about 9:46 p.m. in the westbound lanes when a vehicle driven by a 68-year-old Maple Valley man came the wrong direction eastbound in the westbound lanes and the two vehicles collided, according to a Washington State Patrol report. The Kent man died at the scene. Paramedics transported the Maple Valley man to Overlake Hospital in Bellevue.

The vehicle driven by the Maple Valley man came to rest suspended on a guardrail, partially blocking a lane in each direction. The crash blocked the roadway for nearly four hours.

It is unknown if drugs or alcohol were involved. The driver is under investigation for vehicular homicide.

The identification of the Kent man has not yet been released by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.