State Patrol says speed caused crash that hurt Bellingham driver. Young passenger is OK
A Bellingham man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he is in critical condition with injuries he suffered in a single-car crash Wednesday afternoon on Whidbey Island. A 4-year-old boy who was in the car suffered only a scratch on his knee.
Steven E. Poolman, 24, was driving a gray 2002 Volkswagen Passat southbound on Cultus Bay Road just south of French Road in Island County at 3:57 p.m. Feb. 19, when the car left the roadway to the right and struck a tree, according to the Washington State Patrol report on the crash.
“It occurred on a straight stretch of the road, so going off the road is not typical,” Trooper Heather Axtman told The Bellingham Herald. “We received multiple witness reports that he was driving at a very high rate of speed and passing multiple cars.”
Poolman’s car reportedly hit two trees, but neither at an angle or with enough force to push the engine into the passenger compartment, Axtman said.
Poolman was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, according to the State Patrol report, which listed speed as the cause of the crash. The 4-year-old boy, who is related to Poolman, also was properly restrained in a car seat, Axtman said.
The State Patrol is still investigating whether any charges will be brought against Poolman, according to the release.
Poolman was in critical condition in the intensive care unit Thursday morning, Harborview spokesperson Susan Gregg told The Bellingham Herald.
This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 7:27 AM.
