EVERETT — A Camano Island man who was found curled up in the trunk of his crashed convertible car made his first court appearance Wednesday since being charged with vehicular homicide.
Garrett Turski, 20, is accused of speeding and being drunk April 10, 2010, when he lost control of his Ford Mustang on Old Pacific Highway north of Stanwood. Detectives estimate the Mustang was traveling at 98 mph when it left the roadway, spun across the highway and hit a dirt berm and some trees, according to court papers.
Ellen Floyd, 17, of Stanwood, was ejected from the car. Her body was discovered in some bushes about two hours after a passing motorist reported the collision. Floyd had multiple head injuries.
Turski was arrested last year after he returned from a church trip to Ireland. Authorities were concerned about Turski’s travel plans since extraditions from Ireland have been problematic over the years. A judge released him on his own recognizance.
“There’s no proof that he was in the driver’s seat,” his father, Kenneth Turski, told The Herald after his son’s arrest.
Turski denied being behind the wheel. He pleaded not guilty to the charge Wednesday.
He remains free pending trial. A judge ordered Turski to abstain from alcohol and not commit any crimes.
Witnesses told investigators that Turski and some friends were drinking alcohol in the hours leading up to the crash. The witnesses said they had attended a fraternity party at the University of Washington before returning to a Stanwood house to continue partying. Floyd was at the party and also had been drinking, court papers said.
One of Turski’s friends told investigators that he was concerned that Turski was too drunk to drive and hid his keys. Later he saw Turski and Floyd leave together and saw the Mustang being driven down the driveway, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Tobin Darrow wrote in charging documents.
Turski was captured on video surveillance a few minutes later at a gas station purchasing cigarettes, according to court papers. The camera showed Turski’s car leaving the store, court papers said.
A woman driving southbound on the highway said she saw the Mustang racing toward her. She lost sight of the car and then found the crashed car on the southbound shoulder about 10 seconds later. She didn’t see anyone inside. She called 911 from a nearby gas station.
Deputies searched the crash site for about 15 minutes before hearing a muffled cry for help. They opened the trunk and found Turski in the fetal position with some fabric wrapped over him.
Detectives reported that there was a gap between the backseat and the beginning of the trunk lid. They have speculated that Turski was thrown into the trunk during the crash.
Turski was taken to the hospital where his blood was drawn for tests. The results showed that Turski had a .11 blood alcohol level, court papers said.
Turski told deputies the driver had fled. Then he told deputies that he had been alone. At the hospital he told deputies that he was in the Mustang with Floyd and another girl. He said they wanted to go for a drive and agreed to take him home. He said he got in the backseat and thought he passed out. He also said he thought Floyd was driving.
Floyd’s mother told investigators that her daughter wasn’t an experience driver and hadn’t been taught to drive a manual transmission, which the Mustang had.
Police searched the Mustang and noted that the driver’s seat was in a position that would have made it difficult for someone of Floyd’s height to reach the pedals. A detective, who is the same height as Turski, concluded the seat was properly positioned for him, court papers said. Both the driver and passenger seat backs were substantially reclined, leaving little space between them and the back seat, Darrow wrote.
Trial is scheduled for June 3.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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