Family seeks driver in violent Seattle hit-and-run crash
SEATTLE - The family of a 32-year-old motorcyclist who remains hospitalized after a violent hit-and-run collision in southwest Seattle is pleading for the public’s help in identifying the driver responsible.
Surveillance video from June 2 captured the moment a speeding vehicle struck Dominic Martinez at the intersection of SW Trenton Street and 9th Ave SW, throwing him from his motorcycle and leaving him with life-threatening injuries.
Martinez remains in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center, where he has undergone seven surgeries since the crash, according to his cousin, Ashley Utu. She says three more surgeries are planned.
Dominic Martinez in the ICU
Utu believes Martinez was being pursued by the driver in what appeared to be a road rage incident moments before the collision.
"When I see it, all I can imagine is my cousin thinking that he’s fleeing for his life," Utu said.
The backstory:
According to Utu, data from Martinez’s Life360 tracking app showed his route through Seattle’s Highland Park neighborhood as a vehicle followed closely behind him.
Life360 data of Dominic Martinez's drive on the night of the hit-and-run crash.
"When he passed 16th and Holden, the 7-Eleven, he had to split lanes to get away from the vehicle and the vehicle also split lanes, almost hitting a garbage truck," she said.
Video reviewed by Martinez’s family appears to show the suspect vehicle following dangerously close behind the motorcycle moments before impact.
"This guy was right on his tail … inches," Utu said.
The crash occurred at about 5:07 p.m. as Martinez was heading home from work in Kent.
Utu said the speed of the collision has made it difficult to identify the driver from available footage.
"The footage is so fast we’re unable to identify who this driver was," she said.
Family members say a friend later located what they believe is the suspect vehicle — a dark blue Cadillac DTS with front-end and side damage. Seattle police have since impounded the vehicle as evidence.
"We don’t have much more information than that, so we could really use the community’s help trying to get this horrendous individual brought to justice for my cousin Dominic," Utu said.
Big picture view:
Martinez’s injuries have left his family facing an uncertain future.
"He’s a father. He’s a husband. He’s a caretaker and he has two young daughters he needs to care for," she said.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help support Martinez’s wife and two children during his recovery.
Seattle police continue investigating and are working to identify the driver. Martinez’s family hopes additional surveillance footage or witness video may help investigators identify the suspect.
"Yes, I just want justice for him, and when I have to think of that moment, it scares me to imagine what might have gone through his head," Utu said.
Utu said Martinez passed a Tesla Cybertruck shortly before the crash and hopes the vehicle’s cameras may have captured images of the Cadillac driver.
The family is also asking businesses along SW Roxbury St to review surveillance footage from the area, as witnesses reported seeing the suspect driver running red lights before the collision.
Anyone with information, video footage or knowledge of the crash is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound anonymously through the P3 Tips app or at P3 Tips.com. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
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The Source: Information in this story came from Seattle Police, GoFundMe, and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.