It was just past midnight last Friday night when Scott Moe experienced a traumatic wake-up call that put life in perspective.
Moe, a teacher at The Bear Creek School and coach of the boys’ basketball team, was driving to the school after Friday night’s heartbreaking state-tournament loss in Mount Vernon when he saw a smashed-up Honda Civic off to the side of 208th Avenue Northeast.
He saw a man on a cell phone calling 911 and another man — who was ejected from the car — lying in pain with what appeared to be a crushed pelvis, Moe said.
“It was pretty traumatic,” said Moe, who also called 911. “I’ve never came up on an accident like that. It was a crazy scene. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I couldn’t sleep that night. “
Minutes later, medics arrived and both men were transported to local hospitals.
King County Sheriff’s Office detectives believe alcohol was a factor in the cause of the single-car collision last Friday night in unincorporated Redmond near The Bear Creek School, according to Deputy Travis DeFries, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
The driver, a 27-year-old man from Redmond, suffered minor injuries and was transported to Evergreen Medical Center in Kirkland. The passenger, a 28-year-old man, suffered critical injuries and was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
DeFries said he had no updates on the status of the two injured men and that “detectives believe alcohol is involved.”
Just before midnight last Friday evening, the 28-year-old was driving a 2002 two-door Honda Civic northbound in the 8000 block of 208th Avenue Northeast and went off the road onto the east shoulder. The vehicle swiped a guardrail before rolling over and hitting a wood fence. The passenger was ejected from the car.
Outside temperatures at the time of the collision were near 20 degrees, but the roadway was clear and dry, according to detectives.
Later that night Moe talked to his players about perspective.
“We lost a game, but this guy could have lost his life,” said Moe, whose team bounced back and won on Saturday to advance to the state quarterfinals in Spokane. “It’s just a basketball game. There are a lot more important things in life.”
