Pedestrian killed trying to cross highway

The man was identified as 74-year-old old Alvin Kent, an unhoused man living on Whidbey.

A man with a walker got off a bus on Highway 20 near Coupeville and was struck and killed as he tried to cross the road on Sunday afternoon, according to the Washington State Patrol and witnesses.

The man was identified as 74-year-old old Alvin Kent, an unhoused man who had been living on Whidbey Island off and on for about 18 years, according to Island County Coroner Shantel Porter.

Michelle Hines, the director of the SPiN Cafe in Oak Harbor, said Kent came into the facility almost every day and then slept at the The Haven at night. SPiN is a daytime facility that provides food and services to homeless and low-income people; The Haven is an overnight shelter on Central Whidbey.

Kent and others were headed to The Haven in an Island Transit bus before the accident happened. Normally, the southbound bus lets the people off at a bus stop on the south side of the highway and they walk to nearby Ryan’s House for Youth, where they are picked up and taken to The Haven.

For an unclear reason, the bus driver instead pulled into the Island Transit facility, which is just across the highway from Ryan’s House, according to a witness and an Island Transit official. The people headed to the shelter got off the bus and walked across the highway to Ryan’s House.

Kent, who uses a walker, was struck as he was trying to cross. The State Patrol reported that a 77-year-old Coupeville man was driving a 2019 Kia Soul in the northbound lane and wasn’t able to avoid the pedestrian. The collision was reported at 4:42 p.m.

Hines said many people at SPiN Cafe were traumatized by the tragedy. Some people witnessed the collision while others just miss their friend. Island County Human Services sent counselors to talk to people at SPiN this week.

Hines said Kent was “what we call spicy” but had been more friendly recently. He had become medically frail and advocates were trying to get him into an assisted living facility, she said.

SPiN administrator David Thorson said Kent was known by everyone and well liked.

“He always brought a smile and always had a comeback joke to say to staff,” Thorson said, adding that Kent had recently taken steps to improve himself and his health.

Kent, a father of three, was repeatedly interviewed by the Whidbey News-Times when he lived in an RV with two dogs in the encampment on the side of the Hoffman Road north of Oak Harbor. The encampment has since been removed by the county.

Kent said he was a Vietnam veteran who was stuck living in an RV because shelters wouldn’t take his dogs.

The Washington State Patrol is investigating the accident. Neither drugs nor alcohol were factors in the crash.

Selene Muldowney-Stratton, the marketing and communications director for Island Transit, emailed a statement about the tragedy.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic accident that occurred on Sunday, Feb. 2 outside our Coupeville facility,” she wrote. “Our hearts go out to the individual’s family, as well as to those who witnessed the incident. Island Transit is fully supporting the ongoing investigation and we appreciate the efforts of the authorities involved. We also want to acknowledge our operators and staff who responded to the scene with professionalism and care.”

On July 8, 2022, 23-year-old Everett resident Jacob Weigert was struck while crossing the highway at the site. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Since then, community members have been discussing the possibility of lowering the speed limit or adding a crosswalk on the stretch of highway. The section of the highway is busy with the county transfer station, Ryan’s House, Island Transit and several hard-to-see driveways. An official from the Washington State Department of Transportation, which controls state highways, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.