Bellingham cyclist hospitalized after reportedly being struck by impaired driver
A bicyclist was taken to the hospital with a serious head injury Sunday evening after reportedly being struck and pushed into a parked car by another vehicle driven by man suspected of being under the influence of alcohol in the Happy Valley neighborhood.
Bellingham police booked Nicholas Glenn Ramirez, 26, into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of vehicular assault and possession of a controlled substance on July 26, and jail records show he was released Monday on $200 bail.
Officers were called to the report of a collision between a car and a bicyclist at approximately 7:32 p.m. near the intersection of 32nd Street and Ferry Avenue, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Officers arrived to find the male bicyclist on the ground with a serious head injury, Murphy reported, adding that he was transported to the emergency department at St. Joseph hospital for urgent treatment.
Officers began investigating the incident, Murphy wrote, and soon smelled the odor of intoxicants on the breath of Ramirez, who admitted to drinking before driving home. Ramirez was given a sobriety test in the field, which Murphy reported he “performed poorly.”
Witnesses told police that they saw Ramirez’s car drift toward the cyclist, strike him and push him into a parked car.
Ramirez was arrested on suspicion of vehicular assault and police filed for a search warrant to draw his blood for analysis, Murphy reported.
Ramirez was taken to jail, and during the booking process, a baggie with a small amount of white powder that field tested positive for cocaine was found in his wallet, according to Murphy.
