Man filling gas tank struck on I-5

A driver who had been drinking and might have been using his cellphone struck and severely injured a Bellevue man on Interstate 5 Sunday afternoon, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries after he was hit by a motorist while filling up his gas tank on the right shoulder of I-5 in Sea-Tac just after 2 p.m. The driver that hit him had been drinking and detectives believe he might have been using his cellphone at the time, according State Patrol.

The driver, a 24-year-old Auburn man, was southbound on I-5 just north of the 200th street exit. He drifted onto the right shoulder and hit the 40-year-old Bellevue resident, as he was completely off the roadway filling up the gas tank of his disabled pickup, according to the State Patrol.

There was one passenger in his pickup who was not injured.

The Auburn man was booked into King County Jail for investigation of vehicular assault. Alcohol was a factor, said the State Patrol, which also is investigating his possible cellphone use at the time of the accident.