SPOKANE, Wash. — The driver of a dump truck hauling a trailer was arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of DUI after a crash that left seven people injured on Freya Street and 5th Avenue in Spokane.
The Spokane Police Department identified the driver as 48-year-old McGavin Medrain. He is charged with vehicular assault and is currently in the Spokane County Jail. Medrain is being held on $250,000 bond. He made his first court appearance Monday at 1:30 p.m.
The dump truck hit six vehicles just before noon on Friday before crashing through the Liberty Tax Service building and the Dutch Bros Coffee stand on Freya Street, Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said. Both buildings sustained "catastrophic structural damage" and are a total loss, he added. Spokane police wrote in a Facebook post that the first building was unoccupied, while employees and customers were in and around the Dutch Bros stand.
Seven people ranging in age from children to adults were injured in the crash, with at least one person taken to a hospital, authorities said. None of the injuries are life-threatening. Kevin Parker, who owns the Dutch Bros stand, said one of his employees suffered a broken hip.
The owner of the stand, Kevin Parker, posted a statement on Facebook Saturday. He wrote that police and firefighters told him it was a miracle no one lost their life.
"There is no question losing a stand is a blow, but frankly it pales in comparison when considering multiple lives were spared by a miracle yesterday," he wrote in the post.
One family who was waiting in the drive-thru line at the coffee shop came back to the scene after being discharged from the hospital to look for their car. The mother, her daughter and her father-in-law were all inside the car when the truck hit them and Dutch Bros. The mother said she was trapped and called 911. The young daughter said she blacked out.
"We got back from orientation and I thought I needed some coffee but I was lazy so I didn't get up and go, but kind of glad I didn't," another witness Tatiana Novak said. "Just so shocking."
The commercial vehicle driver was taken into custody by Washington State Patrol for suspected DUI, Spokane Police Officer Stephen Anderson said. Police believe the suspect will be charged with vehicular assault but the investigation is ongoing.
One southbound lane is open on Freya Street, while two lanes remain closed, Spokane police tweeted just before 5 p.m. on Friday. Crews are now starting to clean up the scene at Dutch Bros, according to KREM 2's Morgan Trau.
Freya Street crash
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.