Father: ‘I Don’t Blame’ Driver For Accident I-90 Wreck Killed Teenage Daughter; Wsp Suspects Alcohol Was Involved
Just last week, Will Herndon and KaLee Role were teenage sweethearts rarely seen apart.
“They were madly in love,” said Jack Role, KaLee’s father.
Will Herndon’s dad agreed.
“They were two peas in a pod,” said William Herndon Sr. “They were together all the time.”
Today, Jack Role will bury his 18-year-old daughter and Washington State Patrol investigators will interview Will Herndon about the traffic accident that killed her.
The 18-year-old senior at West Valley High School may face a vehicular homicide charge if a blood test determines he was legally drunk at the time, WSP Sgt. Chris Powell said.
Troopers suspect Herndon’s blood-alcohol level exceeded the legal limit early Sunday when he lost control of his pickup truck on Interstate 90, Powell said. The 1987 Ford rolled over and was hit by two eastbound cars near the Sprague Avenue overpass about 1:40 a.m.
KaLee Role, a 1995 graduate of University High School and a passenger in the truck, died at the scene of massive head injuries.
Her funeral will begin at noon today at Hennessey Valley Funeral Home, 1315 N. Pines.
The owner of Cartoon Classics at University City shopping center, where Role had worked for the past five months, said the young woman was a valued employee who was saving money to buy a car.
“She was great, a real good worker,” said Cheryl Sieveke, the store’s owner. “She was just as little and skinny and cute as she could be.”
Role’s father said a home and family were in his daughter’s future.
“She wanted to get married and have children,” Jack Role said.
Herndon, who suffered a broken leg and three skull fractures, was recovering at Sacred Heart Medical Center on Tuesday and was not available for an interview.
“They have him on morphine,” his father said. “He’s been in and out.”
Doctors drew blood from Herndon on Sunday, and it was sent to a laboratory for analysis, Powell said. Results are expected next week.
“We’re confident that it will show he was over the legal limit,” Powell said.
Herndon is supposed to be well enough today to begin answering questions from troopers, his father said.
All that is known is that the couple left the Role home in the Spokane Valley about 10 p.m. Saturday. They were going to the South Hill to visit Herndon’s older sister, his father said.
“At this moment, we still don’t know what happened after that. That’s the big problem right now,” said William Herndon Sr.
People who know him said Will Herndon, a linebacker for West Valley High’s football team last fall, was not the kind of guy who would drink and drive, especially with his girlfriend in the car.
He is described by his coach, employer and Jack Role as a hard-working young man who stayed out of trouble.
“He has a really great work ethic and is very success-oriented,” said Steve Kent, coach of the West Valley varsity football team. “This will be devastating to him.”
Jeff Sweat, owner of Spokane Athletic Supply, said Herndon had gained a reputation as a reliable employee in the five months he’s run the batting cages at the company.
“He’s as good an employee as I’ve ever had,” said Sweat, who added that customers have passed along compliments about him.
Jack Role said Herndon had been a good boyfriend to his daughter, always walking her to the door after dates.
The Role family listed Herndon as a “loving friend” in a death notice which appeared in Tuesday’s newspaper.
“He’s probably one of the most wonderful kids I’ve ever been around,” Jack Role said. “He’s like one of my kids, too.”
Jack Role said he won’t blame Herndon for his daughter’s death no matter what the outcome of the state patrol inquiry.
“I think this is a very tragic accident, but I don’t blame Will,” he said. “He’s going to have to live with this for the rest of his life, as are we.”
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