Driver in 2019 crash charged

An Oak Harbor woman is accused of causing a car accident in which she and a passenger were injured.

An Oak Harbor woman is accused of causing a 2019 car accident on North Whidbey in which she and a passenger were seriously injured, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged 52-year-old Samantha N. Faucher in Island County Superior Court Dec. 1 with vehicular assault.

A detective with the Washington State Patrol investigated the one-car collision on Crosby Road on May 9, 2019.

The detective’s report states that Faucher and a friend went together to the Oak Harbor Tavern. Faucher drove both of them home in a 2000 Ford Mustang.

A witness reported that the Mustang traveled through a red light at an intersection on Northwest Crosby Road, the report states.

Faucher continued driving west and failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway near the intersection with Airline Way, the detective wrote.

The Mustang crossed the centerline and rotated. It left the road and collided with several sign posts, a chain link fence and a sewage pump generator, the report states.

Faucher’s injuries were life threatening and she had to be airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment.

The passenger was initially transported to WhidbeyHealth Medical Center but then also airlifted to Harborview. He suffered two spine fractures, rib fractures and a broken clavicle, the detective wrote.

The trooper on the scene of the crash had difficulty getting a blood sample from Faucher because paramedics were rushing to get her to the airlift.

The trooper determined that he didn’t have time to get a search warrant for a blood sample that would determine Faucher’s blood alcohol level. One paramedic, however, refused to do an “exigent blood draw,” saying he didn’t have time but had to save her life.

A second emergency medical technician, however, performed a blood draw but was only able to get one vial, according to the report.

The blood toxicology report showed that Faucher had a blood alcohol level of 0.20, which is more than double the legal limit.