'That's the last time I saw her': Boyfriend of crash victim relives tragedy
SEATTLE - Nine months after the major crash, a surviving boyfriend is still on the path to seeking closure.
Andrew Linden was involved in a deadly hit-and-run crash in Seattle in November. The victims who died were his girlfriend, 28-year-old Rebecca Richman, and her brother Michael Richman, 26. Their dad Steve Richman was seriously injured and has since recovered.
Linden recalls the day of the crash, the group was spending quality time together on November 29, 2019, a Friday after Thanksgiving.
They had plans to go Christmas shopping at Pike Place Public Market, but before heading over there, decided to take a quick walk over to see the Fremont Troll.
The four of them were walking on Aurora Avenue when a car drove off the street and into the sidewalk.
“By the time I could recognize it was a car, it was already going through me. I remember thinking that I was dead as I was flying through the air because of how hard it hit me," said Linden. “There was just blood everywhere. I remember Steve crying out to Michael and saying to not go. That memory is just burned into my head of that sheet going over her, and that’s the last time I saw her.”
Radalyn King, 23, was arrested and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, reckless driving, and hit-and-run.
“I remember someone screaming, ‘The driver's running away! The driver's running away!’ My heart just sank when that happened even further. To think that someone could see them dying on the sidewalk and think it’s okay to just run,” said Linden.
According to the police report, King was “laughing and speaking nonsensically” after the crash that happened in the afternoon.
Police allegedly found a meth pipe in the wreckage and believe she was high on drugs.
The pandemic has slowed judicial proceedings, including this one. Last month, King requested a temporary release to attend a family member’s funeral, which a judge denied.
“Rebecca and Michael would never want their memory tied to the suffering of someone else no matter how terrible that person was… so for me a lot of my closure doesn’t come from that, but will come from doing things to honor Rebecca and Michael,” said Linden.
The couple both studied law, and Rebecca used her skills to help others, including low-income hospital patients in Alaska.
"She wanted to find a way to help everybody and that’s who she was," said Linden, who said he'll honor her memory the same way.
While justice through the court system may take some time, Linden said both he and Steve, Rebecca and Michael’s dad, are finding ways to heal and move forward.
“Steve is one of the strongest and kindest people I’ve ever known. It’s clear where some of Rebecca and Michael’s wonderfulness came from, and it came from Steve,” said Linden. “Steve is working to devote his life to helping other people in situations like this, whether through counseling or doing legal work.”