A 23-year-old woman who was arrested Wednesday night for allegedly driving drunk and striking a pedestrian is now accused in his death after he died of his injuries.
Elvis Keplinger, 48, no address provided, died Thursday afternoon at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center. A nurse at the hospital told investigators Keplinger was brain dead, court records say.
The driver, identified as Ileta Simonov of Hawaii, provided officers a preliminary breath test that found her blood-alcohol level was 0.142 less than a half-hour after the crash, according to court records. In Washington, a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or more is considered evidence of drunken driving.
Simonov made a first appearance Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of vehicular homicide.
The crash occurred about 10:45 p.m. Wednesday in the 13100 block of Northeast 28th Street. Witnesses told investigators that a man was jumping in and out of traffic when he was struck by a vehicle driving west on Northeast 28th Street, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
A patrol officer responded to the scene, where first responders were treating the pedestrian who was lying in the road. Simonov’s vehicle had front-end damage and a broken windshield, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Simonov told police she was driving west and hadn’t noticed the man in time. Keplinger was transported to the hospital. He suffered severe head trauma, brain bleeding, a broken right leg and fractured vertebrae, the affidavit says.
When asked if she had consumed any alcohol that evening, Simonov told police she drank a lemon drop cocktail about 1½ hours before the crash. The patrol officer said he could smell alcohol on Simonov’s breath, and her eyes were red and watery; she had also been crying, court documents state.
Simonov agreed to take a field sobriety test, which found she was intoxicated, in addition to the preliminary breath test, court records say. A check of Simonov’s criminal history shows she has a previous DUI arrest within the past 10 years, and she was driving with a suspended or revoked license, according to court records.
Defense attorney Dino Gojak made a courtesy appearance on behalf of Simonov. He said Simonov would likely hire the Vancouver-based Law Office of Erin Bradley McAleer.
Gojak requested a bail amount of $20,000, arguing his potential client does not pose a public safety risk due to strong family support and her ties to the area, including employment. The defense attorney said Simonov has lived in Hawaii for the past two years, but she otherwise spent her entire life in Clark County.
Judge John Fairgrieve opted for the state’s requested bail of $100,000, based on the allegations and Simonov’s prior alcohol-related offenses, including the DUI and a charge of minor in possession.
An arraignment hearing was set for Dec. 7.
