Pedestrian struck, killed near Spokane arboretum

A pickup struck and killed a pedestrian Tuesday morning in west Spokane.

“I didn’t see him,” said the driver, who was visibly shaken as he sat on the sidewalk near the scene.

The victim’s body was still under the car nearby, shielded by a tarp. Authorities did not release his identity Tuesday.

“It’s a nightmare. I’ve seen him walking around here before,” said the driver, whose name wasn’t released.

The crash happened shortly before 9 a.m. at the intersection of 10th Avenue and Rosamond Avenue, near Finch Arboretum.

The driver voluntarily underwent drug and alcohol screening at the scene, and there was no indication that he was under the influence of either, said Spokane police Officer Jennifer DeRuwe.

Such screening is standard, DeRuwe said. The driver was not arrested.

She said the driver was traveling on Sunset Boulevard when he had engine problems and pulled onto 10th. He was distracted by those engine problems when he realized something was trapped under his vehicle. He stopped and discovered he had hit the man.

DeRuwe said police are still trying to determine exactly what happened. Officers spent several hours measuring the scene and collecting evidence.

The man was the ninth person killed this year in a Spokane traffic crash. Of those fatalities, five were pedestrians.