Spokane County deputies: Teenage driver of one-vehicle crash faces vehicular homicide, assault charges

The 17-year-old driver injured after crashing into a tree Sunday, killing one passenger and injuring another passenger, was arrested by Spokane Valley deputies who say they believe the driver was impaired .

Deputies responded around 12:30 a.m. Sunday to a report that a Kia Optima had crashed and was on its side in a yard on the 1700 block of South Bowdish Road in Spokane Valley.

When deputies arrived they learned the car was traveling south on Bowdish Road and sped through a four-way stop on 16th Avenue, the release said.

The car spun out, striking several boulders and a tree before it overturned in someone’s yard, the news release said.

Spokane Valley Fire Department responders extricated the car’s three occupants, which included the 17-year-old male who was driving, a 19-year-old woman in the front and an 18-year-old man in the backseat, the sheriff’s office said.

All three were transported to the hospital with severe injuries, the news release said. The 18-year-old man later died at the hospital, medical staff told deputies. The female passenger as of Monday remained hospitalized in stable condition, the news release said. The driver was treated and later released from the hospital.

Upon further investigation deputies said they had reason to believe the teenage driver was under the influence, according to the news release.

Because of the severity of the crash, the sheriff’s office said, the driver on Monday was booked into Spokane County Jail on suspicion of vehicular assault and vehicular homicide.