Bellingham teen crashes car while fleeing from sheriff's deputy
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - A teenage driver crashed his car early Sunday near Bellingham while fleeing from a deputy's patrol car, the Washington State Patrol reported.
Speed and alcohol were believed to be factors in the crash, state troopers said.
The incident unfolded shortly after 2 a.m. as a Whatcom County sheriff's deputy was pursuing a 2002 Volvo four-door being driven by a 17-year-old boy from Bellingham.
As the Volvo headed west on Lakeway Drive at high speed, the teenage driver lost control of the vehicle. The Volvo veered off the roadway to the north and crashed into a stand of trees, the State Patrol reported.
The 17-year-old driver and a 16-year-0ld Bellingham boy who was riding as a passenger in the car were both injured. They were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Bellingham for treatment.
The Volvo was totalled.
Possible charges are pending against the driver.
Speed and alcohol were believed to be factors in the crash, state troopers said.
The incident unfolded shortly after 2 a.m. as a Whatcom County sheriff's deputy was pursuing a 2002 Volvo four-door being driven by a 17-year-old boy from Bellingham.
As the Volvo headed west on Lakeway Drive at high speed, the teenage driver lost control of the vehicle. The Volvo veered off the roadway to the north and crashed into a stand of trees, the State Patrol reported.
The 17-year-old driver and a 16-year-0ld Bellingham boy who was riding as a passenger in the car were both injured. They were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Bellingham for treatment.
The Volvo was totalled.
Possible charges are pending against the driver.
Ha! Junior loser in training.
 @dgruntled Hoping he's more of a kid who just learned he is not invincible and has serious thoughts about the way he has inaugurated his pending adulthood...but that may or may not be too much to hope for. I'll never know.
In another forum on this same news site, people are claiming individuals who flee from the police and crash their own vehicle should be prosecuted for "attempted murder".... so.... by that rationale... let's lock him up for life eh?
a seventeen year old male in a four door Volvo? Well thats why he ran, being in a 4 door Volvo at seventeen is punishment alone ! LET HIM GO !....FREE TEENS WHO ARE STUPID.COM
By "no coverage", I meant the Insurance Co would not be responsible for that vehicle. Also , I'm not limiting to teens. Let the law deal with the punishment ,I"m talking about vehicle damages.
I'm wondering when these parents will ever freaking learn not to buy a 17 year old a Volvo,BMW or anything but a junker for their first car. They also need to make the kids work off the loan for their cars. They really will respect the car and their parents more for it. Learn from these mistakes parents.Make your child earn things & that will keep them busy at the same time.
 @Gigi It could be that he borrowed Mom's car for the night and has caused her a very big problem with regard to transportation in addition to the other problems he has piled upon her or dad.
Auto insurance will pay in part or for all of the car replacement. Good driver rates in Washington continue to rise because of these irresponsible drivers. I say if you crash while under the influence of drugs/ alcohol, eluding,  even on your cell or texting,  guess what ..... no coverage.You or mommy and daddy are on the hook.Tired of reading about crashes as a result these conditions. Yeah , their rates probably go up considerably but overall, you can bet a cost is passed on to us.   Â
 @zulu  No coverage?  20% of the cars on the road don't have insurance. Jail for 6 months should be a teens sentence for DUI. and of course mommy and daddy will pay, why make the teen responsible for their own actions. Most teens who play high insurance don't pay a cent mommy and daddy have to pay their bill.
Gee. It worked in the video game.
They should throw the book at this kid. So maybe he won't do it again. Also who provided the alcohol to the minor, they should get some of this too. Along with mom and Dad, what good is a teenager doing at 2AM????
Wow, slow down there Speed Racer.Â
Uh Oh! Better get Maaco.
 @Rockberry And.........Vern Fonk!!!!
Would love to have our laws changed as these so called "teens" should be tried as adults. Times are not what they use to be.Â
"Â Whatcom County sheriff's deputy was pursuing a 2002 Volvo four-door being driven by a 17-year-old boy from Bellingham." Â - Sounds like mommy won't be letting jr. use her can again anytime soon.Â
Possible charges are pending against the drive????
DIU, felony flight, assault....a plethora charges...take "possible" out of the equation.
@Sydthepiper More charges if the 16 year old is not a relative,for being in the car.Unless he has passed that time requirement.Also is there a curfew where kids can't be out driving pass???If his parents were smart,they would take away the car keys.Im sure Mommy and Daddy's insurance will be either going up or dropped.Either way,this kid needs to grow up.
Hey Mommy and Daddy,Theres a book out...."Parents guide to teens driving""You may want to check it out..Looks like the 2am driving will be thrown at him to,as well as the 16 year old being in the car,IF he's not a family member..You dodge a BIG bullet on this.Hope he learns from it.
It's time to stop the onslaught of wrist-slapping in this State. Â The moment you try to outrun a cop, it's no different than randomly firing a gun in a mall. Â You may get lucky and miss, you may hit and injure, or you may hit and kill. Â No matter how you slice it, it's attempted murder. Â If attempted murder is the charge for outrunning a cop, it will bring this to a screeching halt. Â 17 or not, this person should be in prison.Â
 @Eichler4 Murder requires intent. If you cannot prove the person eluding police intended to kill the specific person that gets killed or seriously injured the charge of murder or attempted murder will not stick. There ARE other charges, such as vehicular homicide, that DO apply in these situations.Â
Who do we vote for to make the penalties tougher?
 @TreeTopFlyer Unfortunately I don't see the solution in making penalties tougher. It's a good idea, butI IMHO, the real problem lies in the courts and the jails. I listen to my scanner and there are many times when an LEO comes across somebody with an outstanding warrant. The LEO is informed that because local jails are ful,l he can't take arrest them and haul them off. So they get released.
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Same with the courts, some judges will sentence a person using the high end of the scale for time, others hand down sentences on the low side and maybe even suspend a sentence. But if the jails or prisons can't handle taking the criminals in, it doesn't do a lot of good to hand down a big prison term. And many times, a criminal gets released early because of overcrowding.
 @Eichler4  @Veteran  @TreeTopFlyer People have also expressed to me in conversation that we have become too permissive with an anything-goes philosophy as a society.Â
 @Veteran  @TreeTopFlyer People who have zero fear of consequences are more likely to commit a crime.  That mentality could be a big part of why we have so many crimes taking place, and overcrowded prisons.  I think there are penalties out there which could just about end certain types of crimes due to the risk-reward aspect being horrifying, although not all of them.Â