RENTON, Wash. — The 18-year-old driver involved in a deadly crash that killed three children and a woman and injured others was charged with vehicular homicide and assault Friday.
Chase Daniel Jones is charged with four counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of vehicular assault and reckless driving. Jones was released from the hospital and booked into jail, and his bail is set at $1 million. His arraignment is scheduled for April 4.
The deadly crash happened on 140th Avenue SE in Renton on Tuesday, March 19. Four people were killed, three were seriously injured and an eighth person suffered minor injuries.
Those killed have been identified as Eloise and Matilda "Tilly" Wilcoxson, 12 and 13, Buster Brown, 12, and Andrea Hudson, 38. Based on its initial investigation, the King County Sheriff's Office said speed seems to have played a factor in the collision.
According to court documents, Hudson was traveling eastbound on SE 192nd Street in her minivan while carpooling five children. Hudson went through the intersection of 192nd and 140th Avenue when she was "T-boned" by a speeding driver, identified in the documents as Jones.
Prosecutors called the incident an "incredibly violent collision" in the documents and said the impact immediately killed the victims. The documents said the two remaining children from Hudson's vehicle are in the intensive care unit with brain bleeds, internal injuries and broken bones. "Their prognosis is still unknown," the documents read.
No one in the two other vehicles also hit in the collision was substantially injured.
Prosecutors said Jones was witnessed speeding and "weaving around other traffic" and said his driving was captured on video. Data from Jones' vehicle reportedly showed he was traveling 112 mph when prosecutors said he ran a red light at the intersection, "at full throttle without braking."
The documents said investigators found this was Jones' third vehicle he has totaled in a crash involving high speeds in 11 months.
Jones suffered an internal injury that required surgery and a fractured leg and ribs.
According to Washington State Department of Transportation data, this is the first serious car collision at this intersection in 2024, though two other crashes have occurred there.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission reported 809 traffic fatalities last year in the state of Washington. However, they are still collecting data, so the total could rise.
If the total number of deaths climbs over 825, 2023 will be the year with the highest number of traffic fatality deaths since 1981.