Spokane woman killed in crash north of Newport; husband faces charge of vehicular homicide

A Spokane woman was killed Monday afternoon when a car she was in rolled down a steep embankment north of Newport in Pend Oreille County.

The driver of the Ford Expedition, 24-year-old Nelson J. Dunn, of Spokane, was arrested and faces a charge of vehicular homicide, the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Deputies believe alcohol played a role in the collision.

Hannah E. Dunn, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies say they were called to an area near mile marker 8 of Bead Lake Road, about 11 miles north of Newport, where they found the SUV had rolled about 300 feet down an embankment. Nelson Dunn received minor injuries.

Sgt. Questin Youk, Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said the married couple were returning from a camping trip at Cook’s Lake, northwest of Bead Lake, when Nelson Dunn drove over the embankment.

Youk said Nelson Dunn showed clear signs of intoxication. It’s unclear whether Hannah Dunn was wearing a seat belt.

Social media accounts suggest the two were married in 2017. Nobody else was in the vehicle.

The case is being investigated by the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol.