Passenger killed in crash near Spokane airport identified as 21-year-old man

May 13-Police believe speed and alcohol contributed to the single-vehicle crash that killed a passenger and seriously injured three others Friday near the Spokane International Airport, according to search warrant documents filed in Spokane County Superior Court.

The passenger who died was identified by the Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office as 21-year-old Dewayne Aiseia. He died of blunt-force injuries, the office ruled.

The crash was reported at about 7:30 a.m. on Airport Drive between Spotted and Flint roads, according to a Spokane Police Department news release. Court records indicated a black 2019 BMW slammed into a large metal pole on the side of the road.

Aiseia died at the scene. Two other passengers and the driver were taken to local hospitals with serious injuries. Their status was unclear Wednesday.

One of the passengers, a 24-year-old woman, had an open left ankle fracture, a broken right femur and an open laceration to her skull, court records show. The other surviving passenger, who was unidentified at the time the court document was written, had a broken nose, broken teeth and head trauma.

The driver, in his 20s, was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

He was unresponsive, and an officer was unable to complete any field sobriety tests with him or allow him to provide an alcohol breath test, court records say. The search warrant asked to allow police to test the driver's blood for alcohol and drugs.

Police could smell alcohol on the driver's clothing and found multiple open alcoholic beverage containers inside the car.

Officers found no signs of braking prior to the car leaving the road. The crash happened at a speed high enough to throw a large electrical control box a "significant distance" from the crash scene.

Police continue to investigate, said Officer Tricia Leming, spokeswoman for the police department.

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