Teen charged in I-5 wreck that killed her friend said anxiety made her ‘most injured’
An 18-year-old woman suspected of drinking and driving has been charged with a collision on Interstate 5 that killed her friend.
Pierce County prosecutors on Monday charged Zoe Phillips of Lakewood with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and reckless endangerment. Phillips pleaded not guilty to all counts during arraignment in Superior Court.
Commissioner Sabrina Ahrens set bail at $50,000. If she is able to post bail, Phillips will be required to wear an electronic home monitor with an alcohol sensor.
Ahrens was presented with multiple letters from Phillips’ friends and family. About 20 people were in the courtroom during arraignment.
Troopers say Phillips was driving south on I-5 about 2:20 a.m. Thursday when she lost control of her Chevrolet Cobalt, struck a guard rail in the median and spun into the southbound lanes.
A Toyota Tundra slammed into the rear passenger door within moments.
Cindy Thach, 20, of Tacoma was pronounced dead at the scene. Thach was in the backseat of Phillip’s car.
Charging papers give this account of the crash:
A passerby notified troopers about 2:20 a.m. about a disabled car stopped on I-5 near the Pierce-King County line. By the time a trooper arrived six minutes later, a Toyota truck had crashed into the car.
Troopers smelled alcohol on Phillips’ breath, noticed that she had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech and spotted a marijuana pipe in the vehicle.
Phillips allegedly said she and her friends were returning from a party in Seattle.
She admitted to drinking Hennessy and smoking marijuana but said she had “not a lot” to drink, according to court records.
When troopers asked to see her driver’s license, Phillips allegedly yelled at Thach to wake up and insisted the woman was not dead.
Another woman in Phillips’ car suffered a fractured left wrist.
The driver of the Toyota Tundra was not seriously injured but complained of chest pain, likely from the airbag deploying.
“While the defendant was being evaluated for injuries, she became uncontrollable and hospital staff placed her in restraints as she ‘thrashed around, screamed obscenities, and repeatedly said that she was the most injured because she was so anxious,’” prosecutors wrote in charging papers.
The other woman in Phillips’ car told troopers she had seen Phillips drink at the party and offered to drive, but the 18-year-old insisted she drive because it was her car. The woman then fell asleep on the drive and only woke up after the crash.
This story was originally published August 26, 2019 at 11:35 AM.
