Whidbey driver careens onto tidelands, another crashes into apartment complex

By JESSIE STENSLAND
Whidbey News Times Assistant editor
November 24, 2009 · Updated 8:34 AM 

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Two women were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after two unusual accidents in Oak Harbor Sunday, but nobody was injured in either.

In the most spectacular accident, Oak Harbor Police Chief Rick Wallace said that a 22-year-old Oak Harbor woman was driving a Volkswagen Beetle southbound on Midway at about 12:30 Sunday night. The car traveled across Pioneer Way without stopping, careened down an embankment and ended up in the tidelands.

Fortunately, the tide was low at the time, so the car and driver didn’t get soaked. Unfortunately, the car took out a concrete bench that's part of a monument honoring volunteer firefighters, plus it damaged a lift station breather vent, according to the city public works department.

Wallace said the woman was arrested on suspicion of DUI and that the city will seek restitution for the bench. A tow truck was able to pull the Beetle out of the muck.

Early in the day, at about 12:30 a.m., a 20-year-old Oak Harbor woman drove a car into a two-story apartment building on NE Kettle Street.

“It appeared to be very minor damage,” Wallace said, adding that there could be unseen structural damage.

The driver was a resident of the apartment building. Officers arrested her on suspicion of DUI and underaged drinking.

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

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