Young mother recovering after surgery

A 20-year-old Spokane Valley woman was improving at a local hospital Friday after being injured in a car accident Thursday evening.

Katharyn Smith-Mason was riding in a car driven by her husband, Ross C. Mason, as they attempted to turn north on McDonald from eastbound Broadway. She sat in the back seat of the Toyota Tercel next to her 10-month-old baby. When the light turned yellow and an approaching westbound car stopped, Mason turned north, and the car was hit on the side by a Ford Ranchero heading west.

“It’s looking like (the Ranchero’s driver) did run the light,” said Officer Craig Chamberlin, of the Spokane Valley Police Department. “The momentum pushed both vehicles up on the sidewalk.”

Smith-Mason was the only one injured in the crash. The baby, protected by a car seat, was unharmed.

The woman’s injuries seemed severe, Chamberlin said. “Her eyes were barely open. She wasn’t really responding. When she would, occasionally, respond, she would get hysterical.”

Smith-Mason was listed in satisfactory condition Friday.

“She had surgery for swelling in her brain,” police spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said. “She had a severe head injury.”

It’s not known if Smith-Mason was wearing a seat belt, and police think she may have hit her head on the side of the car. “It’s also possible she hit the car seat,” Chamberlin said. “We’re just not certain.”

Chamberlin said he smelled alcohol on the breath of the driver of the Ranchero, identified as 55-year-old Donald W. Haire, 12114 E. Cataldo.

“He had a lot of stale beer cans in the car,” Chamberlin said. “It smelled like an old bar.”

Chamberlin could not give Haire a physical sobriety tests because he is disabled. Investigators instead took a blood sample to test for blood alcohol content. It typically takes three weeks to get the results of the test.

“We have to wait until we get our results back before we pursue any charges,” Chamberlin said.

Pending the results of the blood test, Haire could be charged with vehicular assault, a felony. Mason was also cited for failure to have an interlock device, equipment that prevents a person from driving drunk. According to his driver’s license record, he’s required to have the device in his car because of a previous alcohol offense, Chamberlin said. Mason had not been drinking at the time of the accident.

Police ask anyone who witnessed the crash who has not talked to police to call (509) 242-TIPS.