A Blaine man who admitted to driving his vehicle at a high rate of speed into a Lynden School District bus in 2025, killing its driver, is serving 9-½ years in prison.
Samuel Peter Swanson, 39, pled guilty to vehicular homicide on May 29 in Whatcom County Superior Court for the death of bus driver Annette Lyon, 62. He was originally charged with second-degree murder.
Swanson drove a 2019 Ford Escape head-on into Lyon’s minibus on the 2000 block of Main Street in Lynden on May 1, 2025, after sending texts stating suicidal thoughts by “driving into something” to a friend the night before, according to Whatcom County Superior Court documents and previous reporting by The Northern Light.
Lynden Police Department said Swanson was traveling 77 mph at the time of impact, and five seconds prior was driving 86 mph in the 35 mph zone. Lyon was driving 32 mph and didn’t have time to brake the bus before the crash, according to the department’s investigation.
Swanson was sentenced to 114 months — he’s been incarcerated at Washington Corrections Center west of Shelton since June 2 — followed by 18 months of community custody. He received credit for time served prior to sentencing, according to court records.
Erik Sigmar, chief criminal deputy prosecutor for Whatcom County, said vehicular homicide was the “most appropriate charge that covers the conduct,” adding that Lyon’s family and law enforcement supported it.
“He was very remorseful at the sentencing hearing as well. This is clearly a man struggling with demons,” Sigmar said in an interview. “It’s also a terrible tragic loss of life. We were pleased he accepted responsibility for it.”
