The naked and the dead

NORTH BEND — A naked man, struck and killed on Interstate 90 just west of Snoqualmie Pass early today, was the owner of three McDonald's fast-food restaurant franchises in Ellensburg.

Brett T. Arnes, 35, of Ellensburg, was westbound on I-90 in a red pickup when the accident occurred, the Washington State Patrol said.

At about 4 a.m., the truck crossed the median and the eastbound lanes, coming to a stop when it struck a guardrail, the patrol said in a news release.

Arnes then apparently left the truck, took off his clothes and stood in the eastbound lanes — Lane 2 — where he was struck up a white pickup, Trooper Kelly Spangler said.

Spangler said no charges are pending against the driver of that vehicle, Erick Hanson, 60, of Wilkeson, who was on his way to work. Hanson was not injured, but was very upset by the accident, Spangler said.

Arnes had been a franchise-holder since 1996, said McDonald's spokeswoman Cheryl Lewis in Kirkland.

Spangler said investigators have no idea why Arnes removed his clothing. Temperatures at the pass hovered around freezing at daybreak, hours after the accident.

To add to the mystery, a dead dog was found near the truck. The dog's carcass straddled eastbound lanes 1-2, nearest the shoulder, Spangler said. Authorities do not know if the dog belonged to Arnes.

***Man, I feel bad for the driver of the truck. Can you imagine that?!?!