EVERETT — An Everett man is facing a felony charge for a 2014 motorcycle crash that severed his left leg.
Prosecutors allege that the crash also severely injured a 26-year-old woman, who was riding on the back of the stolen motorcycle. Both her shin bones were shattered. She underwent a series of surgeries to save her legs from amputation, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Tobin Darrow wrote.
The bones were stabilized with plates, screws and rods, court papers said. Prosecutors have not been able to reach the woman and don’t have an update on her condition, Darrow wrote.
The deputy prosecutor recently charged Dylan Downey, 32, with vehicular assault.
Downey is accused of being under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the crash. The charge also alleges that Downey’s reckless driving caused substantial harm to the woman.
Court papers say that the motorcycle was stolen from outside an apartment building sometime in late June 2014. A few days later Downey reportedly drove the Yamaha motorcycle to the woman’s house. She asked for a ride, and they headed southbound on Hardeson Road in Everett. They passed a police car as they approached the intersection at 75th Street SW, court papers said.
The woman told police that Downey hit the gas. She estimated their speed reaching 70 mph. Another motorist told police the motorcycle was going about 90 mph.
Downey looked back, likely trying to determine if the police officer was following him.
He lost control of the motorcycle, and it veered off the road and struck a curb. Downey and his passenger were thrown from the bike as it tumbled through the air.
The front end of the motorcycle was torn from the frame, and the riders landed near a utility box. By the time Downey landed his left leg had been amputated, likely by a nearby sign pole.
The passenger’s tibiae were broken. She and Downey were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where they both underwent surgery.
Downey’s blood allegedly tested positive for meth.
Detectives reconstructed the crash site. They estimated Downey’s speed at between 49 mph and 73 mph, Darrow wrote.
Downey has multiple felony convictions, dating back to 2000. He was sentenced to nearly five years in prison in 2009 for trying to outrun police and being in possession of a stolen vehicle.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
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