Woman killed in Aug. 4 car crash on West Downriver Drive identified

Sunniva Seat, 23, was killed in a single-vehicle crash early in the morning Aug. 4 after the vehicle she was a passenger in left the roadway near the 4400 block of West Downriver Drive, the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed.

Seat was partially thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead when first responders arrived on scene, according to court files.

The vehicle’s driver was sent to the hospital but released later that day, police said. Neither of the occupants were wearing seatbelts when their vehicle plummeted and rolled 40 to 50 feet down an embankment.

Court documents reveal that the driver of the vehicle that crashed was engaged in an altercation with another vehicle before the crash. Police are investigating the crash for potential vehicular homicide.

The documents state that Seat and the vehicle’s driver were sleeping in the vehicle, a 2004 Buick LeSabre, at a turnout on West Downriver Drive. Shortly after waking up and driving away, a vehicle passed them in a no-pass zone. The driver then retaliated by passing the vehicle that just passed him. The vehicle followed closely behind with its high beams on as Seat’s driver “aggressively” applied his brakes, court documents said.

Police believe the driver of the vehicle Seat was in was likely speeding over the posted 25 mph limit when it crashed.