Bellingham woman suspected of vehicular assault in I-5 injury crash late Saturday
A 35-year-old Bellingham woman was arrested Sunday on suspicion of vehicular assault after a passenger in a car she was driving was hospitalized with injuries he suffered late Saturday in a single-car crash along Interstate 5 near the Iowa Street exit.
The Washington State Patrol suspects drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash, according to a release on the crash.
The Washington State Patrol booked Caitlin Eve Buchan into Whatcom County Jail Sunday, Dec. 15, according to jail records, which show she’s being held in lieu of $20,000 bail.
“We don’t have toxicology back yet, but obviously troopers on the scene suspected impairment,” Trooper Heather Axtman told The Herald.
Buchan was driving a silver 2014 Honda Civic northbound on I-5 at approximately 11:31 p.m. Saturday, according to the release, when she lost control and hit the concrete median barrier.
The Civic reportedly rotated and hit the barrier a second time, before coming to rest in the left lane.
John F. Hafeman, 38 of Bellingham, was a passenger in the Civic, and was not wearing a seat belt, according to the release. He was admitted to St. Joseph’s hospital with injuries suffered in the crash.
“When you go into the vehicular assault realm, it’s not like you’re driving intoxicated and you rear-end somebody and they have neck pain — that’s doesn’t meet vehicular assault,” Axtman told The Herald. “When it gets to that level, we’re talking broken bones or injuries substantial enough to charge somebody’s lifestyle for a period of time. ... The fact that he (the passenger) was admitted to St. Joe’s tells us this is something pretty significant.”
The State Patrol did not know if Buchan was wearing a seat belt, according to the report, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 9:14 AM.
