Everett, Wash.
Published: Friday, August 8, 2008

Monroe man jailed in connection with pair of U.S. 2 wrecks

The man, who has a history of drunken driving, is held on suspicion of vehicular assault after two collisions

By Jackson Holtz
Herald Writer

 MONROE -- A man accused of causing two crashes in one night on U.S. 2 while driving drunk is behind bars for investigation of vehicular assault.

The crashes happened late on July 11. Matthew Jordan, 32, of Monroe, would have been jailed sooner, but has been recovering in a Seattle hospital from broken bones, police said.

After smashing his car into the back of a sport utility vehicle near Sultan, Jordan is accused of continuing on and slamming head-on into a car occupied by two Sultan teenagers.

The man's blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit when it was tested 97 minutes after the accident, according to court papers.

Jordan and an 18-year-old woman who was in another vehicle were rushed by helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with multiple broken bones and other injuries.

"We're lucky that nobody died from this collision," Washington State Patrol trooper Keith Leary said.

Nearly a month later, friends of the injured woman held a benefit car wash in Sultan to raise money to help defray medical expenses. Her injuries included broken bones in her neck, leg and foot. Her forehead also was lacerated, the court documents said.

On Monday, Jordan, a convicted felon with a history of drunken driving and parole violations, was moved from a hospital bed in Seattle to a jail bed in Everett.

On July 11, around 11:30 p.m., Jordan was driving a Toyota Corolla on U.S. 2 through Sultan toward Monroe when he smashed into the back of Ford Bronco, the documents said.

The collision was hard enough to flatten one of the Bronco's tires and smash both of the Corolla's headlights, the documents said. The two cars pulled into a nearby gas station.

The Bronco's driver told police the man smelled of booze and was obviously drunk. When the Bronco's driver, a Sultan man, 26, started to call 911, the other man drove off.

About 15 minutes later near U.S. 2's intersection with Fern Bluff Road, Jordan's car crossed the centerline and crashed head on into the Buick Electra driven by the two Sultan teens, the documents said.

The crash is another example of how dangerous it can be to mix alcohol with driving on narrow, winding roads such as U.S. 2, Leary said.

Since 1999, 49 people have been killed in crashes and accidents along the narrow, winding highway between Snohomish and Stevens Pass.

Rumble strips have been installed between Monroe and Stevens Pass. They are supposed to alert drivers who wander into oncoming traffic along the narrow highway.

Jordan was being held at the Snohomish County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail for parole violations and for investigation of vehicular assault.

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com
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