This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
Two friends’ alleged street racing on Interstate 5 (I-5) north turned tragic. One of them is dead. The other was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, even though he wasn’t directly involved in the crash that killed his friend.
“We had a lot of witnesses who reported two-car street racing,” Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper Kelsey Harding said. “Not only did we have the verbal reports, we actually had video evidence of racing prior to the collision.”
Troopers said the crash happened near Stanwood at about 1 p.m. Monday. One of the drivers, an 18-year-old, lost control at a speed over 100mph and crashed in the back of a semi. The crash was so violent the man was killed instantly.
Previous coverage: WSP believes racing involved in deadly crash near Arlington, witnesses needed
His friend, a 20-year-old driver of the other car pulled over to try to help his friend. When the investigation was over, he was arrested for vehicular homicide in the death of his friend, even though he was not directly involved in the crash.
Trooper Kelsey Harding explains.
“With vehicular homicide. there are two different reasons that can be charged. One is going to be if there is impairment and there’s a fatality involved in a collision. The second is going to be disregarding the safety of others. They’re not directly related in the collision, as in contact with another vehicle but actions of their driving did contribute to a collision where there’s a fatality,” she said.
Harding said this is the first time in her career she’s seen a driver, not directly involved in a crash, charged with vehicular homicide.
“Based on all the different statutes that the detectives and troopers on scene thought, they felt that this was the best charge to apply, and that’s why he was booked for vehicular homicide,” she said.
©2025 Cox Media Group
