TULALIP — Police are investigating a fiery crash early Saturday that injured five and left one man with an amputated thumb.
Crews were called about 3:40 a.m. to the 300 block of 92nd Street NW, Tulalip Tribal Police Chief Scott Smith said.
The driver of a Chrysler 300 apparently failed to navigate a turn and crashed into a concrete barrier, Smith said.
Moments after the driver and the four passengers got out of the four-door sedan, it burst into flames.
Investigators allege the driver, a Sedro-Woolley man, 20, had a blood-alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit of .08.
All five people who were in the car were taken to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. Two people, a Bellingham man, 21, who had serious burns on his arms and a nearly severed thumb, and an 18-year-old Sedro-Woolley man who lost part of his thumb, were later rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Other injuries included a 17-year-old from Sedro-Woolley, who had a broken wrist and fractured ankle; a Marysville man, 22, who suffered two breaks in his right leg; and the driver, who had a cut lip and a broken finger.
It’s unclear what the men were doing in the area, Smith said.
Police believe the car was travelling about 50 mph down a gravel road, where the posted speed limit is 25 mph, Smith said.
The driver was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of driving under the influence, possession of an alcoholic beverage and four counts each of criminal endangerment and negligent vehicular assault.
“It’s unbelievable that no one was killed in this accident,” Smith said.
Crash detectives from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office are helping Tulalip police with the investigation.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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