INCHELIUM, Wash. — A teenager was killed over the weekend after being hit by a drunk driver in Inchelium, Washington, on the Colville Reservation.
According to a press release from GoFundMe, the crash occurred when the drunk driver collided with 15-year-old Drake Pakootas’s four-wheeler. The drunk driver then sped away from the scene. Pakootas was one month away from turning 16 and receiving his driver’s license.
According to a GoFundMe page set up to help the family, Pakootas was on a hunting trip with his girlfriend before the drunk driver collided with their four-wheeler on the Colville Reservation. Pakootas’s girlfriend survived but was seriously injured in the crash. She was later treated at Sacred Heart for her injuries.
Pakootas’s mother, Amanda Hoffman, was in Seattle doing her final lab for her nursing certification when she received the news of her son’s death.
The GoFundMe campaign for the teenager has raised over $4,000 out of the family’s $50,000 goal as of Tuesday morning. The money will pay for Pakootas’s funeral, his girlfriend’s medical bills and legal fees.
Stephanie Tyre, a family friend of Pakootas who started the GoFundMe page, mentioned the teenager’s hard-working nature and contagious kindness.
"Drake was a one-of-a-kind teenager," Tyre said. "He was loving, trustworthy, worked hard for anyone. Drakes smile lit up an entire room. If you met him, you know what I’m talking about. His attitude was contagious. Drake was loved by anyone who got the pleasure of meeting him."
Colville Tribal Police have yet to comment on other details on the crash. FBI officials are currently investigating the incident.
Those who want to donate to Pakootas’s GoFundMe page can click here.
This is an ongoing investigation and we will provide more updates as we receive them.
