Who:
Fredrick Brand, 65; Nicole A. Washington, 23; Megan L. Brown, 21 lost their lives at around 5:10 AM on Friday, 5/30/14, in Sedro-Wooley, Washington on State Route Highway 20, close to E Hamilton Cemetery Rd. Alfred Navarro Jr, 19, the driver of the Audi, was also seriously injured with a broken arm and leg, as was Quinnton A. Baxter, 22. Brand was in a 2006 Ford Fusion while all other individuals were in a 1998 Audi A4 that crossed the center line in Skagit County. Brand was marred and a father of 3, and was likely workbound at the time of the crash.
How:
Per police reports, the A4 was eastbound on Highway 20. It crossed the center line into the path of a westbound Fusion, killing Brand, Washington, and Brown. Per troopers, beer cans and bottles were found in the A4 and alcohol is a potential factor. The A4 rolled over as a result of the collision and landed in a ditch. Navarro Jr. was later found to be high on marijuana and alcohol and fled from his hospital with family assistance after being checked out by his parents. He has a prior DUI charge that was dropped as well as a prior charge of eluding police, and has been charged in this case with vehicular homicide and assault. He was later apprehended, charged, and pled not guilty.
Why:
This is another sad case of alcohol, speeding, and driver error leading to a preventable collision.
The 2006 Fusion weighs 3386 lbs and comes with an “acceptable” IIHS frontal score. Every subscore was good besides right leg scores, which were poor. It was impacted by a 1998 A4 that weighs between 3100 and 3500 lbs. As a result, weight differences were negligible. As the A4 is essentially a fancy Passat and the 1998 Passat had a “good” frontal score, we can assume the A4 would have had one too.
Given the likely speeds of the collision (~65 mph, judging by the destruction of the Fusion’s engine bay), the collision likely imparted at least 648KJ of energy into the Fusion / A4. The Fusion frontal impact test simulates 245KJ of energy (a Fusion impacting another at 40 mph). In other words, the Fusion faced 264% of the force it would have experienced in the type of crash the vehicle was rated for. Given these forces, survival odds were low, though still possible. I suspect the deaths of the victims in the A4 were due to sitting in the front of the vehicle, and that the survivors sat in the rear.
This is another senseless tragedy that could have been prevented if individuals took driving as seriously as it merits. Unfortunately, young adults are more likely to drink, speed, and drive carelessly, especially when several are combined in the same vehicle, and it appears these risk factors were all in effect that morning, leading to the loss of three lives.
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