COUPEVILLE — A Lynnwood woman accused of causing a crash that killed two people on south Whidbey Island Dec. 18 appeared in Island County Superior Court this week.
On May 11, Judge Carolyn Cliff found that probable cause existed to believe Danielle C. Cruz committed the crimes of two counts of vehicular homicide in the deaths of 77-year-old Sharon Gamble and 78-year-old Kenneth Weikle.
Cliff released Cruz on personal recognizance and ordered her not to possess any drugs or alcohol.
Cruz won’t be charged, however, until the State Patrol Crime Lab returns blood toxicity results and State Patrol detectives complete the investigation, according to the Island County Prosecutor’s Office.
A State Patrol report filed in court this week describes the series of incidents that led to the two-car, head-on collision on Highway 525 near the intersection of Campbell Road at about 1 p.m.
Cruz arrived on Whidbey Island from the Mukilteo-to-Clinton ferry that day. A witness reported that Cruz, who was driving a Ford Explorer, rear-ended another vehicle while she was approaching the Mukilteo ferry terminal, the report states. One witness reported her as a possible DUI.
A ferry worker reported that he had to knock loudly on her car window to wake her up when they were off loading in Clinton, the report states. The witness said the driving became more erratic as she drove off the boat and she stopped at a green traffic light, according to the report.
The report states that Cruz’s Explorer crossed the centerline and struck an oncoming Mercedes E350 sedan driven by Weikle. Gamble, his passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene. Weikle was transported to Providence Hospital in Everett but passed away Dec. 30 from multiple blunt force injuries sustained in the collision.
The Explorer caught fire after impact. People at the scene pulled Cruz from her vehicle and placed her on the side of the road. She was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment.
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