A bicyclist in Birch Bay and a driver suspected of being under the influence in Semiahmoo were transported to the hospital in critical condition after separate accidents within an hour of each other on Saturday evening.
The first accident involved a 49-year-old Lynden man who was bicycling about 9:50 p.m. eastbound in the 4800 block of Birch Bay-Lynden Road, near Birch Bay Waterslides. A driver of a 1995 Geo Prizm struck the bicyclist from behind, which pushed him down into the oncoming lane of traffic, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater wrote in an email to The Northern Light.
The bicyclist, who was wearing dark clothing without a helmet, did not have any lights or reflectors, Slater said. The driver of the Geo Prizm stopped for the bicyclist and tried to alert an oncoming driver of the man, but the driver struck the cyclist with their 1992 Ford Ranger, Slater said.
North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) Chief Jason Van Der Veen said first responders from Birch Bay Station 63 transported the man, who had a reduced level of consciousness, to St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham. PeaceHealth and Harborview spokespeople said the bicyclist is not in their care.
Both drivers did not appear impaired and cooperated with law enforcement, Slater said. When asked the speeds at which the bicyclist was hit and whether any charges were being considered, Slater replied that the investigation was ongoing.
About 40 minutes later, an automatic iPhone alert was sent to first responders just before 10:30 p.m. about a potential vehicle accident in the 9000 block of Semiahmoo Parkway, near the Sea Smoke neighborhood.
Two Blaine Police Department officers found a 21-year-old Blaine man in a black 2016 Chevy Malibu that had struck an embankment. The man did not appear to be wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, and several alcoholic beverage containers were seen in the vehicle, along with odors of intoxicants, Blaine Police Deputy Chief Brent Greene wrote in an email to The Northern Light.
After finding the man unresponsive, Blaine officers requested assistance from NWFR. First responders from Station 61 in Blaine responded because the Birch Bay’s Station 63 crew was assisting the cyclist, Van Der Veen said. The Blaine station is about one to two minutes farther than the Birch Bay station for a vehicle driving the speed limit.
Blaine officers did not observe obvious signs of trauma, Greene said. While monitoring the man before NWFR arrived, officers noticed the man had stopped breathing and were unable to find a pulse. Greene said the man began breathing and his pulse returned after chest compressions.
NWFR transported the man to St. Joseph Medical Center. PeaceHealth spokesperson Anne Williams said the man was in serious condition on Tuesday, but improved to satisfactory condition the next day.
Blaine police believe the man was driving 50 mph, about 15 mph over the speed limit, before his vehicle collided with a retaining wall off the road. Police forwarded DUI and malicious mischief charges to the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review.
