Tukwila man killed in Federal Way motorcycle accident | Update

Published 10:29 am Wednesday, July 1, 2015

A 21-year-old Tukwila man was killed instantly after a motorcycle accident in Federal Way Monday evening.

According to the Federal Way Police Department, witnesses saw Christian Andrew Sanchez driving between 80 to 100 miles per hour before he crashed on Milton Road South in front of the Wild Waves entrance.

Witness Julie Pierce said she, her friend and niece were just ending their day at Wild Waves when they heard a loud sound — Sanchez driving fast down the road.

But then he lost control.

Pierce said they were in the car facing where Sanchez hit the curb.

“A plume of dirt came up and the bike shot to the left and as soon as I saw the plume of dirt, I said ‘Oh, s***,’” Pierce said. “We ran directly to the bike where it rested near a tree.”

However, Sanchez wasn’t there. He was about 30 feet to the right with his “body hugging the pole.”

Pierce and two other witnesses went to him. One of the witnesses said she was a nurse, Pierce said, and started checking his vitals but there was “nothing.”

“After five, 10 minutes, we pulled the helmet off together and he looked like he was sleeping,” Pierce said, adding that her heart breaks for Sanchez’s mother and family. “… It just takes one little thing, going too fast, and that’s it. The road right there is a straight shot.”

A Major Accident Investigation Team and Total Station responded to the man’s accident but he died on impact. The King County Medical Examiner and a chaplain were also present.

Federal Way Police Department spokeswoman Cathy Schrock said it is unknown why Sanchez was traveling at a high rate of speed.

After Sanchez’s death, friends and family took to social media to grieve and remember him.

“I always loved it when Chris Sanchez came into the room,” said Michael Shannon, one of Sanchez’s former teachers at Foster High School in Tukwila. “He lit up the place with his humor and love for others. The Bulldog family lost one of a kind. RIP Chris.”

Family member Stephen Tyler recalled how Sanchez made him feel special on Father’s Day.

“Chris took me to see Jurassic World 3D, then we pigged out at Blue Island Sushi and finished the night with fro-yo,” Tyler said. “Not once did he let me pay for anything. Before he left, I insisted on a photo with him and his new bike. As he was driving out of the driveway, he said I love you Steve. Best day of my life!”

Friends described Sanchez as generous, knowledgable, proud, loud, awesome, funny, positive, and full of life and joy.

Friend Molly Fontejon said she went to high school with Sanchez and she never saw “a frown or any negative look on his face.”

“He constantly cracked jokes with his best friend Eli,” Fontejon wrote in an email. “Where you saw Chris, you saw Eli, where you saw Eli, you saw Chris.”

Emina Dacic said she couldn’t process the news of Sanchez’s death when she heard.

“My stomach was turned and I just couldn’t believe God took you this early…” she said. “This picture says it all… you always made me laugh, always were so bright, always were such a loving friend. This is how I’ll remember you, huge goofy smiles and faces. My heart hurts. Praying for your family. RIP Chris.”

Sanchez’s family has set up a gofundme.com account with the goal of raising $5,000 to help with the funeral costs. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/ChristianSanchez15