She’s sharing her story after a motorcyclist was run over and thrown into the roadway on Interstate 405 last month as the Washington State Patrol searches for two hit-and-run drivers.
KING COUNTY, Wash. — A 44-year-old motorcyclist from Sammamish who was run over and left in the HOV lane of Interstate 405 last month is speaking publicly for the first time as the Washington State Patrol continues to search for two drivers who never stopped.
Adrienne Calderon rode her motorcycle to work around 5 a.m. Southbound HOV lanes near Sunset Boulevard on May 13 when she said a car pulled into her driveway. As she moved to take cover, her motorcycle hit standing water, causing her to slide into the guardrail. Calderon was lying in the HOV lane and trying to stand up when a truck ran over her right leg, breaking her ankle.
“It was raining outside, so I got on my bike and went to work as prepared as I could be,” Calderon said. “I never thought it would be my last day.”
Calderon, who has been riding for about 20 years, said she has been in close calls before because drivers didn’t see her, but nothing like this has ever happened and there has never been a crash until now. She described looking down and seeing the bones in her legs exposed, and then she started crawling, trying to get herself out of the driveway to avoid being hit again.
“I kept saying out loud, ‘No, no, no, no, this can’t be happening,'” she recalled. “I can still see the headlights. I have to get myself out of this lane, people are still driving here, but people can’t see me. Just in ‘self-rescue’ mode.”
After she drove off the road, a driver finally stopped, called 911 and stayed with her until help arrived. Describing the man as “almost like a guardian angel,” Calderon said the driver guided her through breathing and helped her stay calm when she thought she was going to die.
The Washington State Patrol is looking for two drivers who failed to stop after a crash and is investigating it as a felony hit-and-run, a crime that in Washington is punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a $20,000 fine.
Calderon said the most painful part is knowing people are choosing to keep driving.
“The most important thing to me is the people who choose not to stop,” she said. “Honestly, how do you continue to live with yourself? That person could be someone and you go on with your life. It’s hard to live with.”
Calderon, a commercial truck driver, is expected to be out of work for several months while she recovers from her injuries. Her friends formed a online fundraiser Help her during her recovery.
Anyone with information about the crash or the vehicles involved is asked to contact the Washington State Patrol.
