Rochester teen arrested for vehicular assault for causing July 14 car crash that injured 5

Deputies arrested an 18-year-old Rochester man Tuesday for allegedly causing a two-vehicle collision that seriously injured five people last month.

The collision occurred on July 14 at the intersection of 188th Avenue Southeast and Guava Street in the Grand Mound area, according to a Wednesday news release from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

The Rochester teen reportedly drove his Chevrolet S10 west on 188th Avenue when he collided with a silver Hyundai Tucson that was traveling north on Guava Street, according to court records. Investigators spent nearly three weeks developing probable cause to arrest the man.

“Since the collision, deputies have continued investigating claims that the S10 drove recklessly and intentionally ran the stop sign,” the news release says. “Based on their investigation, they developed probable cause for the arrest of the driver of the S10.”

The driver was booked into the Thurston County jail Tuesday on suspicion of five counts of vehicular assault and three counts of reckless driving.

In the news release, the Sheriff’s Office says there has been a “drastic increase” in reckless driving behavior “promoted by social media.”

“These behaviors are dangerous, unlawful and risky,” the release says. “Please remember, your actions while driving will affect not only you. … In this case, five people were seriously injured and required hospitalization and life-flight helicopter, all of which could have been avoided.”

The Olympian has asked the Sheriff’s Office for more information on how social media may have promoted reckless driving in this case or affected recent driving trends.

The S10 had three passengers, two of which were in the truck bed and were ejected from the vehicle during the collision, the news release says.

First responders had one S10 passenger airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The others, including two in the Tucson, were transported to local hospitals for treatment, the news release says.

A probable cause statement describes the investigation into the collision from the perspective of law enforcement.

A deputy who responded to the scene reportedly observed the heavily damaged S10 sitting off the road on the northwest corner of the intersection. The other vehicle rested on its side on the northwest corner but about 25-30 feet farther away in a dry retention pond.

The S10 driver allegedly told the deputy he ran a stop sign and was sorry. He denied drinking any alcohol or taking any drugs prior to the incident, according to the statement. A preliminary breath sample reportedly confirmed this.

Investigators interviewed several witnesses, including the passengers who were injured. One S10 passenger estimated the vehicle was traveling between 60 and 90 miles per hour when it ran the stop sign, according to the statement.

Another passenger told investigators that he believed the S10 was traveling just over the speed limit. He said they were going to a pond near 196th Avenue Southwest and Sargent Road when the collision occurred, according to the statement.

The passenger who was taken to Harborview Medical Center told investigators that the S10 driver attempted to drift his vehicle around corners by turning sharply. He reportedly estimated the vehicle was traveling between 50 and 60 miles per hour.

The statement says the speed limit on 188th Avenue is 35 miles per hour.