A 28-year-old Bellingham man was arrested early Tuesday, August 25, 2026, after the vehicle he was driving struck a utility pole and landed in a ditch along East Bakerview Road in Whatcom County, Washington. A child riding unbuckled in the front passenger seat suffered substantial bodily injuries and was rushed to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. Deputies reported finding alcoholic beverage containers inside the vehicle and said the driver showed signs of impairment. He was booked into the Whatcom County Jail and now faces a felony vehicular assault charge, along with allegations of reckless endangerment and driving with a suspended license.
According to Cascadia Daily News, which cited Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater, the child’s height legally required a booster or car seat that was not in use at the time of the crash. The outlet reported the driver was being held on $25,000 bail on the vehicular assault charge, while prosecutors had not yet formally filed the reckless endangerment and suspended-license allegations as of the report. My Bellingham Now separately confirmed the crash occurred near the intersection of East Bakerview Road and Hannegan Road and that the child suffered what deputies described as substantial bodily injuries. The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the crash remains active.
