EVERETT — An Everett man was charged this week with driving drunk in a 2020 motorcycle crash on I-5 that left his wife dead.
On the evening of April 8, 2020, a man was riding his Harley Davidson north in the fast lane on I-5. He remembers going about 75 miles per hour, according to court documents.
Then a Suzuki sport motorcycle, driven by Nathaniel Allen, passed him in the HOV lane, according to charging papers filed Monday in Snohomish County Superior Court.
The motorcycle passed the man so fast he felt like he was standing still, he later told investigators. He estimated it was going about 115 mph, according to the charges.
The witness reportedly watched the Suzuki quickly approach a car in front of it just north of the 164th Street exit, then abruptly brake and veer across traffic into the right lane.
There is a curve in the freeway near the 128th Street exit that the Suzuki rider didn’t seem to take into account. It kept going straight until the witness couldn’t see its tailight anymore, the charges say.
As the witness rode by the curve, he saw dirt and debris in the air. Nathaniel Allen, now 40, had crashed into the grassy ditch off the shoulder on the right side of the freeway, prosecutors allege. The witness called 911.
Almost 120 feet north of the motorcycle, state troopers found Nathaniel Allen’s wife, Dawn. She was declared dead at the scene, according to court papers. The Everett woman was 38. She died from multiple bone fractures, including to her spine, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office determined.
Another 40-plus feet north, troopers found Nathaniel Allen. A collision investigator determined the couple was ejected from the motorcycle after leaving the freeway. He was groaning in the grass. Medics could reportedly smell alcohol on his breath.
After he was taken to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, the Everett man told a state trooper he’d hit something that caused him to lose control, according to the charges. He acknowledged having a few beers. He refused to perform sobriety tests.
He reported having “no idea” how fast he was going prior to the crash, deputy prosecutor Tobin Darrow wrote in the charging papers. The suspect also told police “it all happened so fast” he couldn’t describe what happened.
A sample of Nathaniel Allen’s blood was taken at the hospital about an hour and a half after the crash, according to court documents. The state toxicology lab found his blood-alcohol content was 0.08, the legal limit.
The defendant has no felony history, court records show.
A Franklin High School graduate, Dawn Allen “had that comforting gift that would draw strangers in and within minutes they were friends for life,” an obituary noted.
She met her husband at a music festival about 20 years before her death, according to the obituary.
“Dawn was not allowed to go home with a stranger on the first night — rules of her group,” the obituary reads. “So Nate came and (picked) her up the next day.”
They never left each other’s side. The couple “bonded over their love for music, parties, and people.” Dawn Allen worked in hospitality and human resources, according to the death notice. She was known for her creativity, listening and caring heart.
“She leaves behind a wide network of friends and family who will miss her always and know that the example she set of love and grace enriched their lives and they will all carry her in their hearts forever,” the obituary reads.
Prosecutors did not object to the Everett man staying out of custody as along as he responds to his arraignment summons and does not possess alcohol.
His arraignment is set for Jan. 3.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
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