Charges likely after crash injures woman

A Spokane driver is expected to be charged with vehicular assault in connection with a crash Saturday on East Eighth Avenue that left his passenger badly injured. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said Edward D. Leifer, 53, had been drinking and was traveling about double the posted speed limit before the 8:45 p.m. crash. A 47-year-old woman was hospitalized for a broken neck and cuts on the head. Charges stemming from the crash are pending, the Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators say Leifer was driving a 2004 Nissan Murano eastbound near the 4900 block of East Eighth when he drifted onto the shoulder, overcorrected and struck three parked vehicles. Detectives determined that he was driving between 68 and 72 mph in a 35-mph zone.