Washington State Patrol (WSP) is citing high speed as the primary cause of a car crash that killed a 19-year-old driver just south of Blaine in the morning on Sunday, September 24.
Whatcom County resident Melissa Ortiz was driving a green 2004 BMW northbound on I-5 around 6 a.m. on Sunday when she swerved into the median and continued traveling for several hundred feet, according to WSP.
Her vehicle struck a guardrail and flew 20 feet below the highway onto West Road, just south of Blaine city limits; the car was entirely engulfed in flames on impact. Ortiz was not wearing a seatbelt, according to WSP.
Whatcom County medical examiner Gary Goldfogel confirmed Ortiz’s name, age and residence after her family was notified.
