Car veers off road in Bellevue, killing driver

A 24-year-old Bellevue man died when the car he was driving went off the road in the Lakemont area early Tuesday, police reported.

The crash was the first fatal traffic accident in Bellevue this year, said Officer Greg Grannis, police public-information officer.

The car struck with such force that it snapped off a fire hydrant and broke the trunk of an evergreen tree.

"There's no doubt speed played a factor," Bellevue Police Officer Dave Asheim said.

The crash took place about 12:11 a.m. Tuesday along Village Park Drive Southeast at Southeast 55th Street.

The victim's identity was not made public.

When police and rescue units arrived after receiving a 911 call from a neighbor who heard the crash, a silver 2000 Audi S4 was found off the roadway.

The vehicle had been eastbound on Village Park Drive Southeast on the south side of the street, Grannis said. The car crossed the centerline, where it turned to the left, struck a tree on the passenger side and then rolled onto its right side, crushing the passenger compartment, Grannis said.

Rescuers tried unsuccessfully to revive the driver. The roadway was wet at the time of the accident, but the cause remains under investigation.

Evidence of the collision was visible along the roadway, with the fallen tree, the broken fire hydrant and glass and other wreckage from the car strewn along the roadside.

Asheim said it is believed the driver was on his way home and had lived in the area "a long time."

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com