Wayward SUV slams into Shoreline gas station

A man pulled another man from a Chevy Suburban that caught fire after ramming into a gas-station pump this morning in Shoreline.

The Washington State Patrol did not release the name of the man in the Suburban.

Before hitting the gas pump at the Chevron station at Ballinger Way and 19th Avenue Northeast, about 10:30 a.m., the driver of the Suburban hit three vehicles — one of which was then forced into another vehicle, according to the State Patrol.

No one was injured as the Suburban, heading west on Ballinger Way, hit one car, careened into a pickup stopped at a red light, went through the red light, then hit another pickup that was leaving the driveway of the Chevron. That pickup hit another car in the gas station lot.

The Suburban, still accelerating, ran over a strip of plantings separating the gas-station property from the street, and plowed into the pump, said Kelly Spangler, spokeswoman for the State Patrol.

Kevin Martin, who was on his way to work in the emergency room of Stevens Hospital in Edmonds, had just gotten his oil changed and filled the tank when the accident occurred. His car was one of those struck.

He jumped out, he said, and yelled for someone to shut down the pumps. He then ran over to the burning Suburban, and told the man to get out. The man was reluctant at first, Martin said, but then got out.

The fire charred the front part of the Suburban, Spangler said.

It is not clear whether the driver made a mistake — for instance, hitting the accelerator instead of the brake — or whether there was a mechanical problem with the Suburban, Spangler said.

Police found no sign that he had been drinking or under the influence of drugs or that he had been impaired by a medical problem, Spangler said.