A 3-year-old girl was airlifted to a Seattle hospital after a suspected drunk driver slammed into the back of a car on East Smith Road late Sunday, Dec. 23.

Jolene Rae Maureen Sam, 31, of Skagit County was driving west in the 2100 block of East Smith with her 8-year-old daughter, a 3-year-old family friend and two dogs Sunday night. Another car had stopped at the intersection at 10:10 p.m.

A westbound 20-year-old driver was just hitting the gas at the intersection of Everson Goshen Road, a four-way stop with flashing red lights, when Sam's 1994 Chevy Lumina rear-ended the car at "high speed," said Whatcom County Sheriff's Sgt. Larry Flynn. Both cars were totaled.

Nobody in Sam's car was wearing a seatbelt or properly restrained. The 3-year-old girl didn't appear hurt - aside from some scrapes to her face - but a check on her at St. Joseph hospital revealed she may have suffered internal injuries and a concussion, Flynn said. She was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Sam and her daughter had bumps and bruises but did not need to go to a hospital. The other driver was OK, too.

Deputies believe Sam was driving drunk. She was booked into jail on suspicion of vehicular assault, driving with a suspended license and driving without insurance. Her daughter is staying with family friends, Flynn said. The dogs were released to the Whatcom Humane Society.

Reach CALEB HUTTON at caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2276.