A Battle Ground woman accused in the death of a motorcyclist she rear-ended while he was stopped at a traffic light Friday told investigators “she did not know how the crash occurred and said the motorcycle came out of nowhere,” court records state.
Investigators say they believe Regina Mae Milam, 60, was under the influence of a drug at the time of the crash. A preliminary breath test found she had no alcohol in her system. However, Milam’s speech was slow, she slurred her words and repeated herself, her eyes were bloodshot and pupils constricted, and she performed poorly on field sobriety tests, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Her blood was seized for toxicology testing; those results are pending.
Milam appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of vehicular homicide. Despite Milam’s lack of a criminal history, Judge Jennifer Snider set Milam’s bail at $100,000, citing concerns for community safety. She will be arraigned Aug. 16.
Authorities have not yet identified the motorcyclist. But family and friends identified him as 20-year-old Andrew Harig, according to a GoFundMe account.
“Andrew was an amazing young man. His kind heart and caring nature could be felt by all who knew him,” the memorial fund states. “He excelled at everything he did. If you called him for help at any time of the day, he would be there without question.”
Vancouver police and paramedics responded shortly before 2 p.m. Friday for a multivehicle crash, including a motorcycle, at the intersection of Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard and Northeast Vancouver Mall Drive. The motorcyclist was declared dead at the scene, the affidavit says.
A witness, Brittany Gregory, told investigators she was following a black Toyota Camry east on Fourth Plain Boulevard and noticed it was swerving and having difficultly maintaining its lane. Gregory said the traffic signals for eastbound traffic were red and traffic was stopped, but the Toyota did not stop or slow down, according to the court document.
The Toyota crashed directly into the back of the stopped motorcycle, causing the rider to fly through the air and land in the middle of the intersection. The Toyota then struck several other vehicles before coming to a stop up on the curb on the south side of the road. The motorcycle was still attached to the hood of the Toyota, court records state.
The driver, identified by police as Milam, said “she thought she had a green light so she kept going without stopping or slowing down,” the affidavit says.
On Monday, Milam’s court-appointed attorney, Chris Ramsay, said no one knows if Milam was under the influence of anything and should be presumed innocent.
“This may just be a tragic accident, your honor,” he said.
Source: https://www.columbian.com
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