Driver in crash near GU released from jail

A Spokane woman accused of hitting two pedestrians while driving near Gonzaga University was released from jail Monday. Sarah Elizabeth Burford, 33, was released on her own recognizance after appearing in Spokane County Superior Court on two counts of vehicular assault. Burford registered a blood-alcohol level of .093 on a portable Breathalyzer test administered after the crash at North Hamilton Street and East Sharp Avenue, which occurred just before midnight. The test was administered about an hour later, according to a probable cause affidavit. The legal limit for driving is .08. Police are waiting further toxicology results. Burford, who has no criminal record, told police she “looked away from the roadway for a short time and then heard an impact,” according to court documents. She said she’d consumed two sweet tea alcoholic drinks about an hour and a half before the crash, police said. Dana Walters, 21, has been released from the hospital; Lara Tuthill, 19, remained in intensive care Monday but is in stable condition, police said. A witness told police Walters and Tuthill, who run cross country for Gonzaga, were about three feet south of the crosswalk at Sharp when they crossed Hamilton.