A Camas woman was allegedly driving under the influence of pain medication when she crashed into two vehicles on state Highway 500 in August, killing a 68-year-old Vancouver woman.
Pamala S. Alexander, 54, appeared Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court on a summons for vehicular homicide while driving under the influence and DUI, court records show.
Vancouver’s Jonna Porteous suffered life-threatening injuries in the collision, which involved four vehicles, and was pronounced dead upon arrival at an area hospital. The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Porteous died of multiple blunt force trauma, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
At about 9:25 a.m. Aug. 1, Alexander was driving a 2004 Cadillac Escalade west on Highway 500 near Milepost 9, about a mile east of the Vancouver city limits. Her vehicle went over the center line near Northeast 182nd Avenue and hit an eastbound Ford F-250 pickup driven by Maria Zepeda Chaparro, 38, of Vancouver, the affidavit said.
The Ford spun counterclockwise into the westbound lane and was struck by a Volkswagen Jetta driven by Eric M. Mazemke, 44, of Washougal. Both vehicles came to rest in the westbound ditch, court records state.
After striking the Ford, the Cadillac entered the eastbound lane and struck a 2005 Pontiac Vibe driven by Porteous. Both vehicles came to rest in the eastbound ditch, according to the court document.
Alexander was extricated from her vehicle. First responders said her eyes were bloodshot and watery, and her speech was slurred. She said she had taken codeine for her back but didn’t know how much, the affidavit states. She was transported to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center for a fractured right leg and several fractured ribs.
Mazemke was also taken to the hospital for his injuries, and was treated and released. Zepeda Chaparro suffered minor injuries but was not hospitalized.
Mazemke and another driver who were traveling behind Alexander before the crashes told investigators that her vehicle was swerving across the center line and onto the right shoulder, according to the court document.
Toxicology testing found 0.035 mg/L of Alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug, 0.11 mg/L of oxycodone and 0.057 mg/L of Diphenhydramine, an antihistamine, in Alexander’s blood, the affidavit states.
On Tuesday, Judge John Fairgrieve set Alexander’s bail at $40,000. She will be arraigned Jan. 19.
