19-year-old lost control of car while impaired before plunging into river, court documents say; passenger sustained brain trauma

The driver of the vehicle that crashed into the Spokane River on Monday night said when she looked down to adjust the heater, she thought she had swerved, then overcorrected, according to court documents.

Officers responded to the crash around 8:20 p.m. on the 2800 block of Upriver Drive in Spokane and saw a vehicle in the river with three occupants, according to search warrant documents filed Wednesday in Spokane County Superior Court.

One of the passengers, 18-year-old Meguel A. Albright, had serious injuries, including brain trauma, documents said. He was in critical condition at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center on Wednesday, according to Ariana Lake, spokesperson for the hospital.

Serenity M. Dalziel, 19, was arrested on suspicion of DUI and vehicular assault, according to documents. She made her first court appearance for vehicular assault and reckless endangerment charges Tuesday and is scheduled for an arraignment next Wednesday.

The DUI charge was upgraded to vehicular assault, Spokane police spokesperson Julie Humphreys said.

Another passenger was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, police said.

According to documents, an officer said witnesses saw Dalziel’s car attempting to pass other cars while speeding.

Dalziel told an officer she took a “dab” of marijuana around 4 p.m. Monday. An officer smelled a “strong odor” of burnt cannabis coming from Dalziel, documents said.

A preliminary breath test detected no alcohol. An officer said in the documents it was “obvious” Dalziel was impaired by a substance other than alcohol.

Dalziel was taken to the hospital to be treated for any injuries, documents said.

She was not listed in the Spokane County Jail roster Wednesday night.