LAKE STEVENS — A man was racing at over 100 mph moments before crashing into and killing an elderly woman on Highway 9 in Lake Stevens last year, according to charges filed last week in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Around 6 p.m. Aug 3, 2023, two men were sitting at a red light on southbound Highway 9 at Market Place. Suddenly, they saw an Infiniti sedan speeding south toward them, according to the charges.
The two men watched as the Infiniti, driven by Quinton Rummelhart, drove into the intersection and crashed into the passenger side of Nancy Merz’s Honda CR-V as she turned left from northbound Highway 9 onto Market Place, the charges say.
The crash ripped off the front end of the Honda. Its engine and front axle reportedly came to rest nearly 150 feet from the spot of the crash. The rest of the Honda was overturned.
Witnesses rushed to the cars. One got Rummelhart out of his Infiniti and laid him on the ground. Paramedics declared Merz dead at the scene, according to court documents. She was 83.
Responders took Rummelhart, now 23, to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. On the way over, he told paramedics he had been racing another car at about 70 mph, according to the charges. He reported Merz suddenly turned into his lane. He reportedly acknowledged also smoking cannabis before the crash.
Over three hours after the crash, a sample of his blood was taken. It showed 3.6 nanograms of THC per milliliter in his blood, according to the charges. The legal limit is 5 nanograms.
Data from Rummelhart’s Infiniti showed he was going 104 mph two seconds before the crash. He hit the brakes, reducing his speed to 83 mph at impact. The speed limit on this stretch of Highway 9 is 40 mph, deputy prosecutor Tobin Darrow noted in the charges.
On Aug. 2, prosecutors charged Rummelhart with vehicular homicide while driving in a reckless manner and under the influence. He has no criminal history, court records show.
Darrow didn’t object to Rummelhart remaining out of custody during the court proceedings, on the condition he doesn’t consume or possess cannabis.
Arraignment is set for Aug. 19.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
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