Remlinger Farms owner reportedly injured in hit-and-run crash

Investigators were unable to locate the driver or the other vehicle involved.

Authorities said they would not share further details because of the ongoing criminal investigation.

OWNER OF REMLINGER FARMS:

Nathan Sherfey, the owner of Remlinger Farms, shared a statement on Facebook regarding the alleged incident at the Totally Tubular festival, which was held at the venue.

Sherfey said the driver, motivated by online comments, blocked the road with his vehicle near the farm entrance and refused to leave.

The owner alleges he tried to deescalate the situation by speaking with the driver, but the driver became aggressive and criticized the concerts at Remlinger Farms.

The driver struck Sherfey with his vehicle, knocking him off the road and down an embankment, the statement said.

Workers at Remlinger Farms told KIRO 7 News the owner would not comment, but Sherfey shared the following statement on social media.

“Remlinger Farms has worked tirelessly to help our local community navigate this exciting new journey with the concert venue. Unfortunately, all of the hate speech and attacks against our business and family caused a community member to act irrationally, hurting Nathan Sherfey.”

The owner said he is currently discussing next steps with his lawyers.

TRAFFIC:

Several people living in the area told KIRO 7 News that traffic near the site has created controversy within the community.

“Traffic in town seems okay in general, but certainly the Remlinger farm, the intersection right there, is always a problem. There was a really tragic accident a few years ago. And my brother himself had his own accident there,” said Maleasa Smith, a neighbor.

Smith said Tuesday's traffic affected many drivers, including herself.

“I waited about 30 to 45 minutes just to get into Carnation when the last event happened,” she said. “I think they (the concerts) help the community in a way to be able to create an audience for that community just because Carnation is not very well known. I feel like that’s the only positive side. Everything else, it creates a lot of traffic and problems.”

Max Voelker said he knew Sherfey and saw him walking around with injuries at the venue during Wednesday's concert.

“Honestly, the first thing that struck me was that I was speechless. That’s not how it is in this community,” he said. “This kind of intentional violence that’s being directed at Carnation doesn’t feel right.”

Voelker believes the concerts help the local economy by bringing more customers to town, he said.

“Walking around town, it definitely feels like it has a positive impact on people coming into town, not just spending money, but seeing the cool things that Carnation has to offer and maybe coming back without a concert,” he said.

He said he is aware of the extra traffic the concerts generate in Carnation, but does not believe violence is the solution to any problem.

“I think the major problem is this type of traffic and the infrastructure around Carnation and the fact that people passing through it is already a sore subject in town. ” He said: “I really hope that this serves as a wake-up call to the community and that we can all come together and agree that violence over a topic like this is absolutely unjustified. »

“We can talk about it like adults. There is no call for violence,” he said.