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Crash victims improving but are still in ICU in wrong-way crash north of Bellingham

Washington State Patrol

Three Whatcom County residents who were the most severely injured of seven victims in a wrong-way crash this week north of Bellingham were improving Friday in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Harborview spokeswoman Susan Gregg told The Bellingham Herald in an email that Jadesen Knudtson of Bellingham, Aaron Dexter of Blaine and a 10-year-old girl in Dexter’s car were all in serious condition.

Knudtson and Dexter had improved from critical condition on Thurday, Gregg said.

Timmy Hart of Bellingham remained in satisfactory condition Friday at St. Joseph Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Three other crash victims were treated and released at St. Joseph Medical Center on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Dexter still could face vehicular assault charges stemming from the four-car crash, Washington State Patrol Trooper Kelsey Harding told The Herald.

According to a State Patrol report, Dexter was driving north on Guide Meridian in the southbound lanes near Kelly Road about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when his 2001 Mercedes CL sideswiped a 2019 GMC Sierra pickup that Hart was driving.

Then he hit a 2013 Kia Optima driven by a Lynden woman head-on, and finally crashed into a 2007 Nissan Maxima driven by a Spanaway woman.

Both the Nissan and the GMC pickup landed in a ditch, and the Mercedes caught fire, according to the report.

All four vehicles were a total loss, according to the report. They were towed and held as evidence by the State Patrol.

This story was originally published June 23, 2023 at 2:02 PM.

Robert Mittendorf
The Bellingham Herald
Robert Mittendorf covers civic issues, weather, traffic and how people are coping with the high cost of housing for The Bellingham Herald. A journalist since 1984, he also served 22 years as a volunteer firefighter for South Whatcom Fire Authority before retiring in 2025.
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