Around the corner from the collision scene, driver cited for hit-and-run

A woman was arrested for hit-and-run after toppling a crosswalk signal but not reporting it to police last Wednesday, July 21.

Rachel Likely, 40, admitted to falling asleep at the wheel, and then crashing her Hyundai Accent into the street curb in front of the Capitol Terrace Apartments in the 1500 block of Capitol Way in Olympia.  Olympia police say she said she was unaware that she had crashed into the crosswalk signal.

Likely said that she was able to restart her car and then drive it around the building to get to safety. She parked it in a marked stall and then used her cellphone to call her fiancé for help. 

Likely did not contact authorities about the accident. Olympia police noticed the damage to her vehicle and questioned her, then learned of her alleged involvement in the damage to the crosswalk signal. 

By the time Olympia police discovered the car, her fiancé had arrived and was changing the car’s right-front tire. 

Walsh Construction owns the crosswalk signal.  The company is completing a new building project for the State of Washington across the street from the signal, with plans to transfer ownership to the City of Olympia after completion of the work.  The company estimated the cost to fix the sign at $2,380.

Likely was cited for criminal hit-and-run property damage and driving without auto insurance.