2 Victims In SR 516 Wrong-Way Crash Identified

KENT, WA - The two people killed in a wrong-way crash on SR 516 Monday night have been identified as a 36-year-old and a 38-year-old, both from Federal Way. Six other people were injured in the crash, and all were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

The crash happened just after 11:30 p.m. Monday near Meeker Street along SR 516, which links I-5 to SR 167 in Kent. According to Washington State Patrol, Faalfua Ili, 38, was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes when he struck a car being driven by William Ellison, 59, of Seattle.

That caused Ili's car to spin out of control, and it was hit by a car driven by Menaliza Erbai, 43, of Auburn. A fourth vehicle driven by William Smith, 28, of Seattle, tried to avoid the crash, but ended up hitting Ellison's SUV.

Ili's passenger, Freddie Ili, 36, also died at the scene. Ellison's passenger, Phuong-Ngan Tran, 54, of Des Moines, was injured and taken to Harborview. Erbai's passenger, Keilani Tengolu, 5, was also taken to Harborview. Smith's passenger, Rondel Entol, 30, of Kent, was take to Valley Medical Center for treatment.

Police are still investigating to find out why Ili was driving in the wrong direction.

Images courtesy Washington State Patrol