The driver who struck three pedestrians at Pike Place Market was under the influence at the time of the accident:
King County prosecutors filed vehicular assault charges Tuesday against a driver who struck three pedestrians outside Pike Place Market.
Filing the charges, prosecutors claim Travis Clinton Lipski was high on Thursday morning when he drove a Subaru through a red light near the market and struck three people.
According to charging documents, Lipski, 39, has twice been convicted of driving under the influence. The Seattle resident is alleged to have admitted to smoking an herbal substance similar in its effects to marijuana shortly before the crashes.
Vehicular assault carries a maximum penalty of 10 years and prison and a $20,000 fine.
Fortunately all three pedestrians are expected to survive, however two sustained broken bones and one of the two is still in the hospital.
Just to be clear, “the standard sentencing range for one count of vehicular assault for a first-time offender is three to nine months.”[1] This isn’t his first offense, but nonetheless the odds of the assailant going to jail for anything close to 10 years—regardless of what the RCW says—are infinitesimally small. Hell, the standard range for vehicular homicide is only 2.5 to 3.5 years.[a href=”http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/crime/vehicular-homicide/”>2] And even if he manages to serve time, I’m pretty sure he’ll have no problem getting his license back by the time he’s out.