By David Rasbach / The Bellingham Herald
A Marysville man has been arrested on suspicion of DUI vehicular homicide after the truck he was driving reportedly struck a disabled vehicle and killed a Whatcom County man Thursday evening on I-5 south of Mount Vernon.
Jordan A. Blankenship, 22, of Deming, died in the incident that occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m. Thursday near the Conway exit in Skagit County, according to a Washington State Patrol news release.
The State Patrol booked the Marysville suspect, 37, into the Skagit County Jail, trooper Hearth Axtman told The Bellingham Herald Friday.
Blankenship’s white 2018 Ford F150, which was towing a trailer, became disabled in the center lane of southbound traffic near milepost 221, and Blankenship got out of his vehicle and was standing between it and the trailer, the patrol said.
A white 2000 Ford F150 driven by the suspect struck the trailer, which in turn struck Blankenship.
“We had received the call about the disabled vehicle and had a trooper en route,” Axtman said. “That is what makes it so heartbreaking — we were on our way to assist him and help keep him safe.”
When a vehicle becomes stranded in the lanes of travel, Axtman said, the State Patrol neither encourages drivers to stay in their vehicle nor get out and try to make it across lanes at travel to safety on the shoulder.
“You’re really in a no-win situation there,” Axtman said. “Getting stranded on the shoulder is stressful enough with traffic whizzing by. I can’t speak to Mr. Blankenship’s mindset at the time. I mean, his car had just broken down in the center lane, and he had to decide for himself what was safest.”
Unfortunately, neither option may have been safe in this instance.
The suspect was in the right lane, coming up behind a semi and switched into the center lane to pass the semi shortly before his truck collided with Blankenship’s trailer, Axtman said. She did not know whether the hazard lights had been activated on Blankenship’s trailer.
Blankenship was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect was taken to Skagit Valley Hospital with injuries, and the State Patrol received a warrant for a blood draw, which was performed and showed he was driving under the influence of alcohol, Axtman said. He refused treatment at the hospital and was arrested by troopers.
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