Troopers say tragedy could have been prevented in fatal SR 18 crash

A toddler is dead tonight following a horrific crash on State Route 18 yesterday.

Troopers with the Washington State Patrol (WSP) tell KIRO 7 they believe the driver accused of causing the crash – was drunk. And, they added that they are seeing this kind of incident more often.

Monday’s deadly crash brought SR 18 to a standstill after troopers say a 19-year-old man crossed over the median and hit another car head-on. Inside of the other car was 27-year-old mother Carmen Pauza and her 21-month-old child.

“Any death is one too many, but as troopers... My career of 33 years, going to scenes where there’s children, whether you have children or not, pulls at your heartstrings a little more,” said Trooper Johnson with the Washington State Patrol.

The toddler died at the scene, while the child’s mother and the suspected impaired driver were both life-flighted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Detectives are recommending charges of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and driving under the influence for the 19-year-old, once he’s released from the hospital.

Trooper Rick Johnson says impaired driving is a relentless danger on our roads, “Someone potentially made the choice to get behind the wheel after being impaired. That’s the sad part of this horrible crash,” he said. “It’s 3 p.m. on a Monday afternoon. There’s no time of the day that we haven’t come across an impaired driver. It’s 7 days a week.”

According to Washington’s Traffic Safety Commission, nearly half of all deadly crashes last year involved an impaired driver (49%), and fatal crashes involving alcohol were up 2% from the year before.

“It’s very sad. I mean this is 100 percent preventable,” says Trooper Johnson.

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