Victim in Bellevue drunk driving crash: ‘I probably shouldn’t be sitting here with no real injuries’

By Allison DeAngelis • February 23, 2017 4:30 pm
Kyle Rancourt was driving on 148th Avenue Northeast in his vehicle, at left, when he was struck by an alleged drunk driver (Photo courtesy of the Bellevue Police Department).
Kyle Rancourt was driving on 148th Avenue Northeast in his vehicle, at left, when he was struck by an alleged drunk driver (Photo courtesy of the Bellevue Police Department).

The victim in a suspected drunk driving incident in Bellevue Feb. 22 has a message for others— please don’t drink and drive.

Kyle Rancourt, 32, was driving on 148th Avenue Northeast around 11:30 p.m. when he was hit by a 24-year-old driver going the wrong way. Rancourt was not seriously injured, but the other driver was taken to Harborview Medical Center with serious but non life-threatening injuries.

It’s believed that the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to police.

Rancourt took to Twitter after the crash to warn people against driving while intoxicated. His car was totalled in the crash, but Rancourt was discharged from the hospital with cuts from the broken glass and bruises.

“Please don’t drink [and] drive. I don’t want to be hyperbolic, but looking at my car, I probably shouldn’t be sitting here with no real injuries,” he said.

Aside from staying vigilant, late night drivers may also be able to avoid becoming a victim of a drunk driver by staying in the right lane. Law enforcement often find that impaired drivers traveling in the wrong direction on a street will stay to their right, according to Bellevue Police spokesperson Seth Tyler.

“If you’re driving at night, for safety, try to stay out of the left lane,” he said.