KIRKLAND, Wash. — Witnesses said a woman crashed in her own driveway shortly before she was involved in a fatal crash that killed another woman Tuesday night.
Police said 42-year-old Kelly Hudson of Kirkland was driving drunk when she crossed the center line on Juanita Drive at a high speed and slammed into a car with four elderly people inside that was driving the opposite way. Just before the crash, a driver was following Hudson while on the phone with 911, telling dispatchers about a possible drunken driver.
On Wednesday, neighbors told KIRO 7 they saw and heard Hudson slam into a big rock in her yard while hitting the gas, as she backed out of her own driveway. Witnesses said she hit the rock so hard that she ripped the bumper off of her vehicle and then sped down the street. The piece of the bumper was left at the foot of her driveway. Kirkland police are calling it a good piece of evidence.
Accused driver admits to drinking, taking pills
Hudson's lawyer said Thursday she had admitted to drinking and taking pills before the wreck.
"The defendant has admitted that she had some wine and some anti-anxiety pills prior to the accident," said attorney Clay Terry during a court hearing. "There are also several other reasons why the accident may have occurred, which we are investigating. It's going to take some time."
Terry also argued that Hudson shouldn't be locked up because she a single mother with small children.
"Kelly Hudson takes care of her three children by herself, and it's a hard job because all three of them are suffering from severe problems," Terry said.
The judge, however, set Hudson's bail at $500,000.
Defendant a no-show in court
Hudson was a no-show at the court hearing, and KIRO 7 asked Terry why.
"Because she really is in despair, and she looks it, and she didn't want her children to see her in that condition," he said.
Joan Davis, from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, was at the hearing and said she feels for Hudson, but added that nevertheless, another woman is dead.
"And she won't come back," Davis said. "Her life is over, through no fault of her own. That's why we're so passionate about keeping drunk drivers off the highways."
Surviving victims still recovering
People who knew the woman who was killed, 81-year-old Joyce Parsons, said she was an upbeat religious woman returning home from an Argosy Cruise with relatives.
“She was a loved figure in the neighborhood,” said neighbor Leon Misterek.
Harborview Medical Center said late Thursday that Parsons' brother and female cousin are still in the intensive care unit, but had been upgraded to serious condition. Her male cousin has been released from the ICU and is in satisfactory condition, officials said.
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