Aug. 24, 2014 — Redmond, Wash. Former Redmond Police Chief Steven Harris, 68, and 16-year-old Taylor Griffith, an Eastlake High School student, died in a head-on collision on Redmond-Fall City Road (SR 202) at 244th Avenue NE around 10 p.m., Sunday.
The pickup driven by Griffith crossed the centerline and struck Harris’s Ford Explorer, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Harris’s wife, Margaret, was critically injured in the crash and hospitalized, while the couple’s dog, Jake, later died from its injuries. The Redmond Reporter provided primary local coverage, noting the WSP investigation into the incident.
Crash claims life of former Redmond police chief; wife critically injured.
— KING 5
FOX 13 Seattle reported that both drivers were killed in the head-on wreck on SR 202. KOMO News detailed that the 16-year-old’s pickup crossed into oncoming traffic, striking the Explorer.
Harris served as Redmond Police Chief from 1981 to 2009, amassing over 40 years in law enforcement. The Seattle Times described him as a “visionary” leader who transformed the department during the city’s growth period.
A full obituary for Harris appeared in the Seattle Times Legacy.
No connection exists to a separate June 2014 crash on Highway 522 involving a Redmond couple, Joan and Stanley Kinger.
