Alcohol a suspected factor, state police investigate survivor for vehicular homicide investigation

By JUSTIN BURNETT

South Whidbey Record

Freeland is mourning the loss of one of its own this week.

Timothy Keil, 61, was killed in a head-on collision on South Whidbey Saturday. The accident occurred in the evening on Highway 525 near the intersection of Coles Road. Keil was pronounced dead at the scene.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Jo, children and grandchildren.

“It’s just a terrible tragedy,” said Pastor Jim Lindus, of Trinity Lutheran Church. “We have a community that’s heartbroken.”

Keil retired about 15 months ago from a career with the City of Bothell. A member of Trinity’s congregation, he was getting into a new rhythm of life, spending time with family and volunteering with the church, Lindus said.

He was especially active with His Hands Extended program, which works to feed and cloth Seattle’s homeless twice a month. He was a dedicated supporter and volunteer for the charity, according to Lindus.

“He was a great guy,” he said. “He had a soft and tender heart.”

“I just can’t say enough nice things about Tim,” Lindus added.

Thomas Beard, also of Freeland, was a friend of Keil’s for about 20 years. He described him as a father, a grandfather, a friend and, to some, a mentor. When he asked how you were doing, he really wanted to know, Beard said.

“He was a caring, gentle soul,” he said.

The other driver in the crash was Michelle Nichols of Clinton. She was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle from the accident scene. She was in intensive care Sunday and her condition has since been downgraded from “serious” to “satisfactory,” a hospital spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday.

According to the Washington State Patrol, the accident happened at 8:40 p.m. Nichols, 46, was southbound on Highway 525 in a white 1988 Ford Van and had just passed Coles Road when her vehicle collided with the guardrail on the right side of the state route. The van then crossed the centerline and stuck a northbound vehicle, a silver 1993 Honda Accord, driven by Keil.

Keil, 61, died at the scene. His next of kin were notified by a state trooper and the Island County coroner, a press memo said.

According to the release, the cause of the crash was crossing the centerline; alcohol is believed to have been involved, and Nichols is under investigation for vehicular homicide, the memo said.

“At the time of the accident there was an odor of alcohol,” said Trooper Mark Francis, spokesman for the Washington State Patrol in a follow-up interview.

He added that police obtained a search warrant to take blood samples to determine her blood/alcohol content level. The results won’t be determined for several weeks, but she was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide that night, he said.

Nichols is a family woman with several children, and is a longtime bus driver for the South Whidbey School District, according to her Facebook page.

The affected section of the highway was closed at Craw and Maxwelton roads. An emergency landing zone was set up on the highway and an air ambulance landed and picked up Nichols. The scene was processed by Highway Patrol accident technicians, police said.

The closure lasted about four and half hours.