Crime
Trooper: Lynden driver passing stopped cars causes crash, injuring 2
A teenager from Lynden faces criminal charges of recklessly passing a line of cars stopped on West Smith Road, crashing into the lead car and seriously hurting the other driver Monday evening, Dec. 15, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Jasmine Jay Tasha Guerrero, 19, of Lynden, had been stuck behind about six eastbound cars waiting for Garrett Allen Davis, 26, of the Bellingham area, to turn left into a driveway off Smith near Aldrich Road, said Trooper Travis Shearer.
Guerrero accelerated her dark blue Infiniti G-35 and tried to go around in the westbound lanes around 5:10 p.m., according to the state patrol.
By the time she reached the front of the line, Davis’ white ’77 Volkswagen Rabbit had started to turn left. The front end of the Infiniti slammed into the driver’s side of the Volkswagen — at a “really high rate of speed,” Shearer said — spinning both badly damaged cars into the shoulder.
Both drivers were taken to St. Joseph hospital. On impact Davis’ right foot and ankle shattered, Shearer said. He was in surgery Monday evening. Guerrero suffered bruising from her seat belt and airbag.
No one else was in either car.
Troopers expect Guerrero will be criminally charged with reckless driving.
A pipe for smoking found in the Infiniti was taken as possible evidence, Shearer said. Guerrero, however, passed a drug recognition expert’s sobriety tests. She could still face a charge of possessing drug paraphernalia.
Smith Road east to Guide Meridian was detoured for hours while state troopers investigated. The sun set about an hour before the crash.
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