SALMON CREEK, Wash. — Lori Bolland Embree will never get over the sudden death of Jerry Bolland. Lori considered the 42-year-old a brother.
"I'm biologically his aunt, but my parents adopted him when he was 3 years old and he called me his sister," Lori said.
In the early morning hours of June 2, Jerry was driving from his home in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Forks, Wash., when he got a flat tire on Interstate 205 northbound near the Northeast 134th Street exit.
Authorities said Jerry was changing the tire on his 1998 Pontiac Bonneville when he was badly hurt in a hit-and-run crash.
"The people who came upon him said he was conscious and speaking," Bolland Embree said.
Unfortunately, Jerry Bolland's injuries were too serious and he died at the hospital. Bolland Embree recalled receiving the news hours later.
"I personally started screaming, which probably isn't the best response to have, but it is what it is," she said.
Bolland Embree doesn't believe there's any way the driver who hit Jerry Bolland did not realize it. What she does know is that he of all people did not deserve this fate.
"He was a loveable human being and incredibly kind to a fault," she said.
Those traits are among the reasons this Father's Day was difficult for Jerry Bolland's seven kids. They and the rest of the family are hoping for justice for Jerry.
"It's not about revenge," she said. "It's about resolution and peace. Peace for everybody, everybody involved."
Detectives with the Washington State Patrol are investigating the crash and they want witnesses to come forward. They are also asking anyone who has a dash cam, and was traveling in the area at the time of the crash, to review the footage for any evidence of the suspect vehicle.