Spokane Valley car crash injures four kids; female driver faces charges

Four juvenile passengers were injured and a woman is facing vehicular assault charges after a single-vehicle crash early Sunday morning in Spokane Valley.

At about 1 a.m., Spokane Valley deputies arrived in the area of the 18800 block of East Cataldo Avenue east of Barker Road in Spokane Valley to investigate a crash involving one vehicle, a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office news release said.

Deputies estimate that the vehicle, operated by 19-year-old Autumn Solomon, was traveling twice the posted speed limit of 25 mph and failed to slow down as it approached a sharp corner at Barker Road. The vehicle hit a concrete barrier, vaulted into the air and came to rest in a vacant lot, the release said.

Solomon was driving four juveniles between the ages of 12 to 14 who were not believed to be wearing seat belts, according to the release.

All five occupants of the vehicle received medical attention. The four juveniles were transported to a local hospital. Three were in stable condition and one who received a serious head injury was in serious condition, the release states.

After receiving medical attention, Solomon was booked into Spokane County Jail under suspicion of vehicular assault.

Investigators believe speed and failure to use seat belts were factors in the collision, but drugs or alcohol were not.