Bellingham Man Held Without Bail After Child Hurt in Suspected DUI Ditch Crash

A 28-year-old Bellingham man is in custody after a child was seriously injured in a suspected DUI crash early Tuesday on East Bakerview Road, just past Hannegan Road. The vehicle struck a utility pole and ended up in a ditch around midnight, and deputies found several alcoholic beverage containers inside the car along with a child who was unbuckled in the front seat.

Whatcom County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the crash and found the driver showing signs of impairment, according to the agency, as reported by My Bellingham Now. Sheriff's office spokesperson Deb Slater confirmed the crash was investigated as a suspected DUI incident. The child suffered substantial bodily injuries and was transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham; the child's age has not been disclosed by the sheriff's office.

The driver was booked into Whatcom County Jail on Tuesday and is being held without bail. He faces a vehicular assault charge, along with reckless endangerment and driving with a suspended license, per the same account.

What the Charges Could Mean

Vehicular assault is classified as a Class B felony under Washington law, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, fines up to $20,000, and mandatory license revocation when a driver causes substantial bodily injury while impaired or driving recklessly. State sentencing guidelines also call for a mandatory 12-month consecutive sentence enhancement for each child passenger under 16 present during a DUI-related vehicular assault, according to Ashbach Law Offices.

The reckless endangerment charge, a gross misdemeanor under RCW 9A.36.050, carries penalties of up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine for conduct that creates a substantial risk of death or serious injury. Washington's child restraint law requires drivers to ensure passengers under 16 are properly secured, and finding the child unbuckled in the front seat represents a direct violation of that statute, the WA State Department of Health notes.

If convicted of vehicular assault, the driver would also face a mandatory one-year license revocation from the Washington Department of Licensing, with reinstatement contingent on completing substance use disorder treatment and maintaining SR-22 high-risk insurance.

A Trauma Center Built for Cases Like This

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, which renewed its Adult Level II Trauma Center designation in June, remains the sole hospital and designated trauma center in Whatcom County, handling more than 3,000 regional trauma cases annually across four counties, according to PeaceHealth.

The crash also adds to a troubling pattern in the county. A 2025 public health study published on ScholarWorks found that alcohol plays a role in nearly half of fatal traffic collisions in Whatcom County, a rate 67.8% higher than the national average. Statewide, Washington's Target Zero highway safety plan identifies impaired driving and speeding as the top two contributing factors in fatal and serious injury crashes, according to WSDOT.

This is not the first serious impaired-driving case tied to the Bakerview corridor this year. In May, Bellingham man charged in fatal Ferndale crash detailed how a 28-year-old Bellingham man was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and DUI after allegedly driving a stolen vehicle from Bakerview Road and causing a fatal crash east of Ferndale. It remains unclear whether formal felony charges in this latest case will include the statutory child-passenger sentence enhancements at arraignment in Whatcom County Superior Court.