Driver reportedly did meth and fell asleep before hitting Bellingham woman doing yard work
A driver is suspected of falling asleep behind the wheel before he reportedly hit a Bellingham woman doing yard work with his car last month in the Columbia neighborhood, resulting in the amputation of both of the woman’s legs. The driver reportedly later admitted he used methamphetamine the night before.
Bellingham Police booked Mark David Johnson, 31, into Whatcom County Jail Tuesday, Aug. 3, on suspicion of vehicular assault. He was charged in Whatcom County Superior Court July 22 and a warrant was issued for his arrest July 23.
After being taken to St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, the victim reportedly was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition with a full leg amputation, a partial leg amputation, a head injury and multiple other injuries.
Police responded at 10:18 a.m. July 9 to the 2000 block of Eldridge Avenue for a pedestrian-involved traffic collision, according to reports at the time.
Officers arrived to find a red Mitsubishi vehicle high centered on the sidewalk with extensive front end damage and the victim lying face down on the ground to the right of the vehicle with visible, extensive injuries, including what appeared to be the amputation of both legs, according to Whatcom County Superior Court records.
Johnson, who was the driver of the Mitsubishi, was sitting on the grass across the street when police arrived, records state.
Johnson told police and witnesses that he had fallen asleep after staying up all night to work a double shift, according to court records.
A passenger in Johnson’s car told police that Johnson picked him up at approximately 6 a.m. to take him to the grocery store, according to court records. Johnson told the passenger that he had to drive a friend somewhere first, and the passenger reported they drove into the county and dropped the passenger and the other man off at a house. Johnson then reportedly returned to the house after about 20 minutes and picked up the passenger.
As Johnson drove back into town, the passenger reported to police that he noticed Johnson falling asleep while driving, with his body twitching and arms moving. The passenger told police he asked Johnson four to six times to pull over or to get an energy drink, even saying he would walk home, but Johnson said he was fine, court records show.
Shortly afterward, the passenger reported that Johnson fell fully asleep and his hand jerked the steering wheel to the right, causing the Mitsubishi to go up on the curb and hit the victim, who was doing yard work at the time, according to documents.
The Mitsubishi pushed the victim into a trailer hooked to a Toyota Tacoma pickup parked halfway on the curb, documents state.
Johnson also was taken to the hospital after the crash, according to documents, and it was there that he admitted to using methamphetamine the night before. A Washington State Patrol drug recognition expert performed tests on Johnson at the hospital and determined there was evidence of “Johnson being on the downside effect of a central nervous system stimulant,” documents state.
Johnson’s mother also went to the hospital and told police that Johnson had been randomly “passing out for the last six months, and they did not know why,” according to documents.
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 8:19 AM.
