ENUMCLAW, Wash. — A 63-year-old woman was charged Wednesday with causing the deaths of two people and serious injury to two others following a crash on state Route 410 last weekend.
Michelle Oster, also known as Michelle Thomas, also known as Michelle Walton-Thomas, faces two charges of vehicular homicide and two charges of vehicular assault. Witnesses said Oster was driving "aggressively" and "dangerously" preceding the crash. Following the crash, Thomas told investigators that she was in a "hurry to get home."
Prosecutors said Oster was "annoyed and dismissive" at the scene of the crash.
"She appeared more concerned with retrieving her vape pen from her vehicle than the state of the victims," court documents read.
On her record, Oster has a slew of other driving infractions, including multiple violations for driving without a license or a suspended license, reckless driving, negligent driving and a DUI.
At the time of the crash, investigators said there was no indication that Oster was under the influence, but that she later volunteered she was attempting to stop using an opioid pain medication.
Oster was driving westbound on SR 410 on Sunday, Oct. 13 when she attempted to pass several cars in front of her by switching into the the eastbound lane. Witnesses told law enforcement that this was in a no-passing zone marked by a solid yellow line in the road.
When Oster approached a curve in the road and saw a car coming at her head-on in the eastbound lane, she swerved back into the westbound lane, but there wasn't enough room. She struck the rear corner of the SUV in front of her, sending that car spinning into oncoming traffic, according to court documents.
The SUV was t-boned on the passenger side by a Honda Fit in the eastbound lane. The two people in the SUV were declared dead at the scene. The driver and the passenger in the Honda were taken via helicopter to Harborview Medical Center where they are currently being treated for serious injuries.
According to court documents, witnesses told investigators that Oster was driving "considerably faster" than the posted speed limit.
At the time of the collision, Oster's car swerved onto the westbound shoulder, then traveled back across the roadway and slid down an embankment on the eastbound side. She was uninjured in the collision.
Oster told investigators that she was passing cars "two or three at a time" and then finding a place to re-enter the westbound "like she's supposed to," court documents state. Oster claimed that the driver of the SUV "stepped on the brakes" when she was attempting to get back into the westbound lane due to an oncoming car, so she swerved into the bushes on the eastbound side to avoid a crash. She claimed the driver of the SUV had a medical emergency and that was the actual cause of the collision.
Oster went on to claim that the drivers in the westbound lane were going under the speed limit, and that she was only speeding "maybe a tiny bit, but not much." She said the other drivers "should have pulled over if they wanted to look at trees and stuff."
Oster is currently in custody at the King County jail on $100,000 bail. She will enter a plea on Oct. 30.
