Whatcom man suspected of DUI, vehicular assault in injury crash west of Bellingham
A Bellingham man suspected of driving under the influence lost control of his car and crashed Tuesday evening in Whatcom County, resulting in his passenger being hospitalized.
The Washington State Patrol booked Toby William Solomon, 29, into Whatcom County Jail May 4 on suspicion of felony DUI, vehicular assault, driving with a suspended license and possession of a dangerous weapon. Jail records show he is being held in lieu of $4,000 bail.
The incident occurred at 7:21 p.m. on Marine Drive near the intersection of Ferndale Road, just west of the Nooksack River, according to the State Patrol report on the incident.
Solomon was driving a green 1999 Honda Accord west on Marine Drive with a 35-year-old male passenger from Bellingham, according to the report.
Solomon was driving at a high rate of speed and made an illegal pass to the left, the report states. It was then that he reportedly lost control and the car left the roadway, struck a ditch and rolled, coming to rest on its top on the west side of Ferndale Road.
Solomon, who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash according to the report, was not seriously injured in the incident, but his passenger, who was wearing a seatbelt, was taken to St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham with injuries. He remains in critical condition at the hospital, spokesperson Bev Mayhew told The Bellingham Herald in an email Wednesday morning.
Solomon had gotten into another car by the time law enforcement arrived on scene, but he had not left the area, Trooper Rocky Oliphant told The Herald, so he was not charged with hit and run.
The report on the incident did not include any information about the possession of the dangerous weapon charge, Oliphant said.
The dangerous weapon charge was for a previous warrant out of district court, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Herald in an email.
This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 7:28 AM.
