A wrong-way driver who caused a crash early Saturday morning on Interstate 5 is suspected of being under the influence of intoxicants, according to court records.
Jacob W. Riverman, 22, of Vancouver appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of vehicular assault.
Shortly after 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Washington State Patrol communications received information about a wrong-way driver traveling south in the northbound lanes of I-5 at Milepost 9, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
A white 2014 Jeep Patriot driven by Riverman was traveling in the middle and left lanes when it collided with a blue Honda Fit driven by Michael Wheeler, 65, of Woodland, according to the affidavit and a state patrol crash memo. The Jeep careened to the shoulder of the freeway and crashed into an embankment, the affidavit says.
Then, a third vehicle, a silver Ford Edge, crashed into the Honda; both skidded into the freeway’s median barrier. Both the driver of the Honda and a passenger were uninjured, according to the crash memo.
Wheeler suffered a broken rib and had a heart attack while in the hospital, the affidavit says.
Riverman was uninjured. A responding firefighter said that when he was removing Riverman’s seat belt, Riverman kissed him and said he loved him, the court document states.
The trooper on scene asked Riverman how much alcohol he drank that night, and he responded “too much.” The trooper said he smelled a faint odor of alcohol coming from Riverman, who also had watery eyes. Riverman reportedly told the trooper he knew he was going the wrong way on the freeway, according to court records.
A sample of Riverman’s blood was taken for toxicology testing. Those results are pending, the affidavit says.
Riverman’s bail was set at $15,000. He will be arraigned Sept. 27, court records show.
