Ferndale man sentenced in Whatcom County for fatal 2023 hit-and-run
A 25-year-old Ferndale man has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a March 2023 hit-and-run that left a 33-year-old woman dead and her 13-year-old daughter injured.
Court records show that Ashleigh Woodward was heading south on State Route 548 (Peace Portal Drive/Blaine Road) south of Blaine at about 5:30 p.m. when a motorcyclist, later identified as Colby Jon Gunderson, rode up beside her car. He hit the driver’s side mirror with his fist four times, Woodward’s daughter told police, and began to drive into their lane.
Woodward swerved to the right, according to court records, but there was no shoulder on that side of the road. She then veered to the left, crossed over the centerline, went off the side of the road and hit a ditch and concrete block. Gunderson was braking, so the car passed in front of him without hitting him. He drove off without stopping.
Woodward was thrown out of the car from the impact. She and her daughter were taken to the hospital, where Woodward died April 13, 2023. Her daughter suffered an intracranial bleed but recovered.
A black motorcycle was caught on security video near the crash, and a Blaine Police Department officer identified it as potentially belonging to Gunderson. When detectives arrived at Gunderson’s home, they found the motorcycle was missing its license plate and was freshly painted gray.
Gunderson was “obviously extremely nervous,” court records state, and had trouble answering questions. Detectives also found he attempted to hide or change his social media accounts to take down photos of himself with the motorcycle.
Police seized Gunderson’s motorcycle on June 8, 2023. When Gunderson spoke with officers, he said he was attempting to pass Woodward’s car shortly before the crash. However, he said he never made contact with the car, so he didn’t think he was involved.
Troopers with Washington State Patrol arrested Gunderson on Oct. 6, 2023. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and hit-and-run causing death in Whatcom County Superior Court.
“The loss of Ashleigh to us as a family changed our lives forever,” Woodward’s grandmother said in an impact statement. “We will never be the same again.”
Gunderson will spend a year in community custody following his release from prison. He also was ordered to pay restitution.