Bellingham driver suspected of vehicular homicide, DUI in I-5 crash with pedestrian Friday
Drugs or alcohol are suspected in Friday morning’s fatal crash involving a pedestrian along Interstate 5 in Bellingham, and the driver of the car that was involved has been arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide.
The identity of the male pedestrian who died at the scene has not been released.
The incident occurred at approximately 6:35 a.m. Friday, Oct. 7, near milepost 258 of southbound I-5, just north of the Bakerview Road exit in Bellingham, according to the Washington State Patrol report.
Lowell F. Mase, a 68-year-old man from Bellingham, was driving a 1998 Ford Ranger pickup southbound at the time, when he began driving on the right shoulder and struck the pedestrian, according to the report.
Mase was suspected of being impaired by drugs or alcohol, according to the report, and the incident remains under investigation.
Trooper Kelsey Harding told The Bellingham Herald that Troopers have arrested Mase on suspicion of vehicular homicide and DUI. He was booked into Whatcom County Jail at 10:30 p.m. Friday and held with no bail.
It was the second fatal crash along I-5 in Bellingham in less than 12 hours.
Thursday evening, Oct. 6, a Ferndale motorcyclist died along I-5 in Bellingham after being involved in a collision with a hit-and-run vehicle near the Lakeway exit.
This is the second time this year that there have been two fatal crashes on Whatcom County roadways within a 24-hour period, as there also were two on March 16.
The two fatal crashes Thursday and Friday bring the total number of deaths on Whatcom County highways in 2022 to 15, including three that involved pedestrians, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation Crash Data Portal. In 2021, WSDOT reported there were 16 fatal crashes resulting in 19 deaths in Whatcom County, including four crashes that involved pedestrians.
It also represents the fifth fatal crash involving DUI on Whatcom County highways this year, according to WSDOT, after there were three in 2021.
The Washington State Department of Transportation first tweeted about Friday’s crash at 6:46 a.m. Friday, reporting that it was blocking the right lane.
“Due to the nature of this collision, we have no estimate for reopening of the right lane at this time,” WSDOT said in a follow-up tweet.
As of 8 a.m., WSDOT traffic cameras showed southbound traffic along I-5 was backed up beyond the Main Street exit in Ferndale. At 9:04 a.m., WSDOT tweeted that all lanes were clear.
This story was originally published October 7, 2022 at 11:00 AM.
