Four killed in collision near Marysville

Four people were killed Sunday night northeast of Marysville after the driver of a sport-utility vehicle apparently ran a stop sign off Highway 9 and collided with a second vehicle, the State Patrol said.

A State Patrol spokesman says that two men and two women inside a Hyundai died instantly after their car was struck by a 2005 Ford Explorer near the intersection of 108th Street Northeast and Highway 9. Names of the four have not been released by the State Patrol or the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office.

A man driving the Explorer got out of the vehicle and ran after slamming into the four-door sedan, said spokesman Trooper Keith Leary.

A woman living near the crash scene told investigators that she found the man in her driveway. She said he was acting "dazed and confused" and was wearing bloody clothes, Leary said.

The woman persuaded the driver to return to the wreckage, Leary said.

The driver, who has not been identified by authorities, was taken to Providence Everett Regional Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries.

He is being investigated for vehicular homicide and drunken driving, Leary said. A male passenger in the Explorer is also being treated for minor injuries.

Leary said that the Hyundai was totaled in the crash. The speed limit on 108th Street Northeast is 35 mph, but it's unclear how fast the Ford was traveling, Leary added. The Explorer was heading east at 108th Street Northeast.

A section of Highway 9 and 108th Street Northeast was closed for several hours during the investigation. The highway was reopened at about 11 p.m.