A 42-year-old Kirkland woman made her first appearance in King County Superior Court Thursday after being arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide and assault. Bail was set for $500,000 for Kelly Hudson following a car crash that occurred Tuesday night. Hudson is suspected of driving while under the influence of alcohol, crossing the center line on Kirkland’s Juanita Drive and killing Joyce Parsons, 81, of Kirkland and injuring three other people.
The deadline for charging Hudson is tomorrow.
Hudson was allegedly traveling south in a blue minivan on Juanita Drive Tuesday night when a car following her called 911 to report that she was driving erratically and failed to stop for a stop sign. While on the phone with dispatch the person witnessed Hudson cross the center line and hit a silver Toyota Prius head-on. The crash occurred near Fire Station 25 and firefighters were the first on the scene.
Emergency personnel had to cut open the Prius, which was completely off the roadway, to get Arthur Kamm, Daniel J. Grieshaber, Jenny L. Grieshaber and Parsons out of the vehicle. Parsons died on scene, according to probably cause documents.
When officers approached the blue minivan they contacted Hudson and noticed signs of intoxication including the smell of alcohol on her breath, droopy, watery bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, the documents continued.
Hudson allegedly told officers that prior to driving she had taken an anti-anxiety medication with wine, according to police documents.
Kamm and Jenny Grieshaber were transported to Harborview in critical condition. Kamm had internal bleeding, while Grieshaber sustained a broken neck. Daniel J. Grieshaber was transported to Evergreen Hospital with unreported injuries.
Kirkland Police Lt. Mike Murray said that neighbors of Hudson told detectives she was seen hitting a large rock in her driveway with her minivan as she attempted to drive the vehicle out to the road sometime Tuesday. The crash was violent enough to rip the bumper off the minivian. Hudson lives a little more than a mile from the scene of the accident in the Finn Hill neighborhood.
