Man dies from Federal Way multi-vehicle collision | Update

Published 9:51 am Wednesday, November 25, 2015

A serious vehicle collision on Pacific Highway killed one man and left another injured the morning of Nov. 25.

The three-vehicle accident occurred at approximately 5:40 a.m. when Anthony van Moorsel, 54, was driving southbound and hit a patch of ice near South 374th Street. Moorsel lost control of the his vehicle, which crossed the center line and clipped a northbound semi-truck. Moorsel then crashed into a Toyota pickup and flipped on his side. South King Fire and Rescue firefighters had to removed Moorsel, who was critically injured, and transported him to Harborview Medical Center where he later died.

A woman in her 30s driving a Toyota pickup was also transported to Valley Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

While the cause of the collision is still under investigation, city spokeswoman Cathy Schrock said Public Works was on-site that day and noted water had up-swelled on private property adjacent to Pacific Highway South, and was flowing down the access driveway onto the road.

“Following this observation, city Public Works staff immediately worked to divert the water to the surrounding storm water conveyance system, which was found to be functional,” Schrock said. “Specifically, Public Works staff re-graded the private driveway where it met the asphalt to create a depression that allows the water to flow laterally into the existing drainage ditch system rather than onto Pacific Highway South.”