Yes, this seems absolutely crazy, for all the reasons cited.

A man is dead, and obviously there is no way that on a warm summer night JP Smithson could not have known that his car made contact with someone, despite it being on a "night-shrouded city street". Are we really supposed to believe he wouldn't get out of his car, or at least use his mirrors? There is no way.

At 20 years old, his sight and senses are at their peak. His headlights presumably worked that evening, or is that an incorrect assumption? The weather was pretty good and warm that night https://weatherspark.com/history/29923/2017/Port-Angeles-Washington-United-States  The author of this aticle called the street "night-shrouded"--was that meant to convey that it was a particularly badly-lit stretch of city street, or that is was a dark and gloomy night? Do tell.

This smells. I hope it's going to be looked at very closely, and that this isn't a case of the good ol' boys and girls picking winners while justice dies.