A man suspected of driving under the influence has been charged with vehicular assault in the June 30 collision in Marysville that severely injured a young woman. (Marysville Police Department)

A man suspected of driving under the influence has been charged with vehicular assault in the June 30 collision in Marysville that severely injured a young woman. (Marysville Police Department)

Driver charged in Marysville crash that broke woman’s neck

Prosecutors: Man with DUI history was high on heroin during crash that injured a 22-year-old woman.

EVERETT — A driver accused of seriously injuring a woman in a Marysville crash last month has been charged in Snohomish County Superior Court with vehicular assault.

Prosecutors allege Allen Roy Denman, 49, was under the influence of heroin on June 30 when he slammed his Porsche Cayenne into the back of a Toyota Corolla on 64th Street NE, at an intersection with Highway 9.

The impact pushed the Toyota into two more vehicles and caused it to spin out into a third, according to police reports. When officers arrived, the Toyota had heavy front and back end damage and was spilling gasoline onto the road.

Sarah Blomquist

Sarah Blomquist

The driver of the Toyota, 22-year-old Sarah Blomquist, of Lake Stevens, was slumped over the center console, semi-conscious and struggling to breathe. Medics extracted her and took her to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett with a broken neck and severe head injuries. In the first 28 hours she underwent three surgeries — one to remove part of her skull, and then to fuse multiple vertebrae in her neck to protect her spinal cord.

A Marysville officer questioned Denman at the scene and noted several signs that he had been using drugs, including watery eyes, constricted pupils, slowed speech and twitching hands. Denman also allegedly had a yellow plastic baggie with a small amount of black tar-like substance, suspected to be heroin. Police received a judge’s permission to get a blood sample from the suspect and submitted it the Washington State Toxicology Laboratory for testing. The results were still pending by the time prosecutors filed charges last Friday.

Denman was in jail Wednesday with bail set at $100,000. Deputy prosecutor Tobin Darrow noted Denman had been convicted of driving under the influence three times. He was charged a fourth time, though that later was reduced to a reckless driving conviction. Darrow wrote Denman’s “persistent impaired driving presents a substantial danger to public safety.”

At the time charges were written, Blomquist was still at the hospital, waiting for a bed in the rehabilitation ward. She’s made progress in her recovery, according to updates provided by the family on a GoFundMe page created to raise money for her medical bills. She’s regained consciousness, and doctors have removed a breathing tube from her neck. In a Tuesday post, her brother, Kevin Birch, wrote that Blomquist can now walk down the hall with the help of a cane.

She also has retained her sense of humor.

“She has been assuring me that I had better tread lightly around her though because if I misstep, she may smack me with the cane a time or two,” Birch wrote. “Just hard enough for me to remain in line.”

Despite her positive spirits, Blomquist’s recovery is going to be “enormously taxing both mentally and emotionally,” Birch wrote.

Before the crash, Blomquist had been working as a bank teller and was studying to become an elementary school teacher. She was set to get married on July 25, in Birch’s backyard.

Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

The pathway at Matt Hirvela Bicentennial Park is completed Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Lynnwood light rail leads to new trees in Mountlake Terrace

Mountlake Terrace replaced trees removed during construction of the Lynnwood light rail… Continue reading

Riverfront Everett in Everett, Washington on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Everett council extends deadline for riverfront grocery store

A city agreement requires the land owners to bring a grocer there. Developers say more housing units need to be built to attract one to the site.

A firefighter with Sky Valley Fire sprays water on a hotspot Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022, along U.S. 2 as the Bolt Creek fire continues to burn between Index and Skykomish. (Peter Mongillo / Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue)
Snohomish County releases draft of wildfire protection plan

Community members can submit feedback and questions online through July.

Snow dusts the treeline near Heather Lake Trailhead in the area of a disputed logging project on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, outside Verlot, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Utah Senator pulls public lands provision from tax bill

The original proposal would have put federal land in Snohomish County up for sale.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.