BOTHELL – John Holschen was in a war zone thousands of miles away when a fiery crash ended his daughter’s life in Marysville.
He’s now fighting a battle to get the state to re-evaluate the use of cable barriers along interstate highways.
His daughter, Megan “Marijke” Holschen, 18, died in a Dec. 15 crash that also severely injured his wife and younger daughter. Two young sons also were hurt.
Holschen raced home from Iraq, where he was consulting for the U.S. government. He said a firefighter told him that a cement barrier might have prevented a sports utility vehicle from crossing the median into the path of his family.
The firefighter’s comment stuck with Holschen through the hours of watching his wife, Martha, and daughter, Jolie, now 16, fight for their lives and undergo numerous surgeries.
His Seattle attorney, Mike Nelson, has since called in experts from around the country to evaluate the cable barriers and state crash data. The experts have raised questions about the effectiveness of the cable barriers near Marysville, where the median is narrow and sloped and, until last week, the speed limit was 70 mph, Nelson said.
State engineers say the barriers were designed to meet national standards.
Those standards didn’t protect his family, Holschen said.
His wife and daughter have endured more than a dozen surgeries. His wife continues to need a wheelchair if she’s going to be out for any extended time.
“As a father, I’ve seen my family shattered, and if they’re going to say they met all applicable standards, then I’m going to hold those up to public view,” Holschen said Friday.
He said he is prepared to launch a campaign to raise public awareness about the findings if he can’t get the state to make changes.
“There will be no joy in a campaign, but I want to make sure that the loss of my daughter’s life is not repeated over and over again,” he said.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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