Investigation of fatal I-5 wreck continues
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, April 14, 2005
MARYSVILLE – Washington State Patrol detectives say they are at least a month away from wrapping up an investigation into a fiery crash on I-5 that killed a Bothell teenager four months ago today.
Megan “Marijke” Holschen, 18, was killed and her mother and younger sister were severely injured Dec. 15 when a Ford Explorer plowed into their Chevrolet Suburban near Smokey Point.
Troopers are unable to say if anyone will be arrested or cited in connection with the crash until the investigation is finished, trooper Lance Ramsay said.
Investigators have spoken to witnesses and the Holschen family, but haven’t been able to speak with Juliann Odom, 23, who drove the Explorer, Ramsay said.
As of Thursday, Odom’s attorney had not returned calls from The Herald.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Ramsay said.
Investigators have been examining the vehicles down to the smallest dent, he added.
“When we have a collision like this, they work through the entire vehicle,” Ramsay said.
Martha Holschen, 47, and four of her five children were northbound on the freeway. Odom, then 22, crossed the median and slammed into the Holschens’ Suburban, then hit a pickup truck, troopers said.
Odom’s Explorer and the pickup burst into flames. The fire was so hot it melted a window and taillight of the nearby Suburban.
Bystanders freed those trapped in the vehicles, and a truck driver used his rig to pull the Suburban away from the fire.
Megan Holschen died in the Suburban. Martha Holschen and her daughter Jolie, 15 at the time, were critically injured.
The mother and daughter spent weeks at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. They’ve had numerous surgeries for their injuries and have ongoing complications, said the family’s attorney, Mike Nelson.
“They’re working at healing physically, emotionally and as a family,” he said.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
Paramedic to be honored
The Marysville Fire Department will honor paramedic Kevin Johnson for his rescue efforts in the Dec. 15 crash on I-5. The ceremony will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Station 61, 1635 Grove St, Marysville.
