Office Identifies Man Who Drove Off Ferry Dock

A man who died after driving a van off a state ferry dock has been identified as Daniel Adotei Pappoe, 21, of Lynnwood, the Snohomish County medical examiner’s office said Sunday.

The apparent cause of death was drowning, but an autopsy was scheduled today, the medical examiner said.

The accident halted service on the Edmonds-Kingston route for more than four hours Saturday.

A boat that had already left Kingston was diverted to Seattle and foot passengers were taken to Edmonds by bus, said Susan Harris, a ferry system spokeswoman.

Ferry service resumed after a tow truck was used to pull the commercial-type Chevrolet van to the surface at the terminal in this suburb between Seattle and Everett.

Pappoe drove up to the ticket booth where Pete Williamson was working at about 10:30 a.m.

“He asked me if life was worth living or if he deserved to live, and I said, ‘What?’ because I couldn’t believe he had said that,” Williamson said.

And then he drove the car through a barricade, witnesses said.

The body of Pappoe, who was alone in the van, was recovered by Fire Department divers within an hour and was taken to Stevens Memorial Hospital for examination.