An Onalaska man accused of falling asleep at the wheel after drinking and consuming a depressant, causing a rollover collision on Interstate 5 in Lewis County on Friday that severely injured a passenger, has been charged with vehicular assault.
The charge is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
Dimitry Elijah Uvarov, 22, was arrested following a single-vehicle rollover collision at milepost 75 on northbound Interstate 5 that was reported at about 2:50 p.m. on Friday, March 7, according to court documents and information released by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
When contacted by troopers at the scene, Uvarov allegedly identified himself as the driver and said he and his friends were visiting a hot spring in Oregon where they consumed a box of wine and Uvarov slept for a bit before driving back.
Uvarov allegedly reported that “he had been driving his friends back from Oregon and he had fallen asleep,” according to court documents.
The vehicle reportedly rolled and came to rest in the right lane, blocking one to two lanes of traffic until about 6:10 p.m. on Friday due to the vehicle catching fire while it was being towed, according to WSDOT.
Of the vehicle’s three passengers, two sustained minor injuries and one suffered a fractured pelvis in the crash.
Troopers reported that the passenger “had a (serious) pelvis deformity without feeling in one leg” and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment.
That passenger was also reportedly knocked out by the crash, according to court documents.
While troopers were talking with Uvarov at the scene, they reportedly noticed that Uvarov “had the odor of intoxicants coming from his person and displayed bloodshot, watery eyes.” He allegedly said “he thought he was ‘good’ because he had slept after drinking,” according to court documents.
While a breath sample provided by Uvarov at the scene showed that his blood alcohol content was .02, which is below the legal limit to drive, Uvarov allegedly refused to answer a trooper who asked him if he had taken any drugs, according to court documents.
A trooper evaluated Uvarov at the hospital and determined that “the suspect was under the influence of a (central nervous system) depressant and was unable to operate a vehicle safely,” according to court documents.
Central nervous depressants are a category of drugs that include sedatives, tranquilizers and hypnotics such as Valium, Xanax and Ambien.
While the prosecution asked for Uvarov’s bail to be set at $50,000 — double the amount that was set over the weekend — Judge Paul Strophy granted the defense’s request to reduce bail to $10,000 due to Uvarov’s lack of criminal history and his voluntary assertion that he will not drive until his case is resolved.
“We can agree at this time that he will not be behind the wheel,” defense attorney Rachael Tiller said during Uvarov’s preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
Strophy made that a provision of Uvarov’s release, prohibiting him from driving or operating a motor vehicle for the duration of his case.
“You can have a possession of a vehicle … but you cannot be behind the wheel, even if you are not driving it,” Atrophy told Uvarov on Monday.
Uvarov posted bail Monday night and has been released from the Lewis County Jail, according to jail records.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, March 20.
