Editor’s Note: This story has been updated after the Washington State Patrol provided additional information and clarified and corrected its previous account of the crash to The Chronicle.
Law enforcement officers are referring charges against both drivers involved in a rollover crash in Salkum last week.
The incident occurred at about 6 p.m. on Aug. 25 near the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and Fuller Road, according to the Washington State Patrol (WSP).
The two drivers involved — a 19-year-old Rochester woman and a 19-year-old Lacey man — were reportedly in a dating relationship and had an “altercation” at a nearby lake prior to the crash, WSP told The Chronicle on Saturday..
According to WSP, a Toyota Camry driven by the 19-year-old Rochester woman passed an Infiniti Q50 driven by the 19-year-old Lacey man in a no-passing zone. The Q50 then passed the Camry and swerved into the other vehicle, causing the Camry to roll.
Minor injuries were reported and no one was hospitalized, according to WSP. Both vehicles were totaled.
While troopers initially believed the driver of the Camry was responsible for causing the collision, further investigation sparked by a video of the crash taken by a passenger inside the Camry has revealed the driver of the Q50 was the causing driver, WSP told The Chronicle on Saturday.
(Disclaimer: This video contains graphic footage of a vehicle accident. Viewer discretion is advised. Please note this video has been censored to fit community guidelines. )
WSP is now referring reckless driving and first-degree assault, domestic violence charges against the 19-year-old Lacey man driving the Camry, according to Trooper Will Finn.
WSP’s reasoning for referring the domestic violence assault charge stems from the video of the crash, according to Finn.
Based on that video, WSP has determined the driver of the Q50 swerved “aggressively and on purpose, with intent,” according to Finn.
The driver of the Camry was arrested at the scene of the crash for driving under the influence after troopers took a preliminary blood alcohol content (BAC) test. A second test taken during processing revealed the alcohol in her system “was almost non-existent, but there was still alcohol,” according to Trooper Will Finn.
WSP is referring minor in possession of alcohol and reckless driving charges against the 19-year-old Rochester woman, according to Finn.
All charges are being referred to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office.
