POULSBO — Two people were killed early Saturday when their Ford SUV crashed into a utility pole and burned in the 2600 block of NW Finn Hill Road.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the crash, Deputy Scott Wilson said. The identities of the two victims have not been released.
According to a statement sent to parents Monday by North Kitsap School District the victims may have been a North Kitsap High School student and a former North Kitsap High student.
“We are all shocked and saddened by the event and our thoughts are with their families,” the statement said. “Counselors are available to support our students and staff as they have the need to talk or express difficult feelings.”
The crash was reported at 2:03 a.m. Poulsbo police arrived at 2:08 a.m., medics and city firefighters at 2:12 a.m., and sheriff’s patrol deputies at 2:16 a.m., Wilson said.
Upon arrival, emergency crews found the vehicle in a drainage ditch, fully engulfed by fire, up against a wood utility pole, Wilson said. When the fire was extinguished, deputies and firefighters found two persons deceased inside the SUV.
A preliminary analysis by traffic investigators indicates that the Ford SUV was traveling westbound on NW Finn Hill Road when it left the paved roadway and drove onto the shoulder of the westbound lane of travel. The SUV then went back onto the roadway, crossed both lanes of the road and rotated counterclockwise, Wilson said. The vehicle’s momentum carried it off the paved portion of the eastbound lane of travel and onto the soft shoulder, where it struck several mailboxes.
The SUV stopped abruptly when it struck the utility pole and burst into flames. The fire spread up the utility pole. Poulsbo firefighters reported the fire was extinguished at 2:21 a.m.
Excessive vehicle speed appears to be a causing factor in the crash, Wilson said. It was not known whether the occupants were wearing seatbelts. No other vehicles or persons were believed to have been involved.
Identification of the deceased will be made by the Kitsap County Coroner’s Office, which will determine cause and manner of death.
Investigators ask that anyone with information about this crash contact Deputy Rick Cowell, sheriff’s traffic unit, 337-4634.
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