Speeding and alcohol were factors in an early Sunday collision that took the life of a 19-year-old Spokane girl, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to a report of two vehicles colliding with a tree near the intersection of 54th Ave and Hatch Rd. around 2:24 a.m. Sunday.
Investigators learned that an 18-year-old male was driving a 2005 BMW passenger car at a high rate of speed and was racing with another vehicle southbound on Hatch Rd. A 19-year-old male was riding in the passenger's seat.
The other vehicle involved was a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am being driven by an 18-year-old female. The female driver tried to make a left hand turn at a high rate of speed, while at the same time the other driver tried to pass her on the left. The two vehicles collided in a "T-bone" fashion, sliding off the roadway together and striking a large pine tree.
The Pontiac struck the pine tree with its right side door, killing a 19-year-old female right front passenger in the Pontiac. The female driver suffered minor lacerations and contusions from the crash. She was treated and released from a local hospital. None of the occupants in the BMW received injuries.
Investigators were told the occupants of both vehicles had been drinking earlier at a party. Blood draws were taken from both drivers and will be sent to the Washington State Toxicology Laboratory for analysis. It will take approximately a month to get these results back.
Both vehicles were seized as evidence and criminal charges may be brought a later date, pending the final results of the investigation.
An autopsy is scheduled for the decease female on Tuesday, February 16. The name of victim will likely be released after the post mortem is completed.
