Brian Wood (1977-2010)

On September 3, 2010, Brian and Erin Wood were driving to a vacation home owned by Erin’s parents on Whidbey Island in Washington’s Puget Sound. Jordyn Weichert and Samantha Bowling were driving an SUV with their boyfriends in the back seat.  Weichert felt a need to change her sweater while driving, so she turned the wheel over to Bowling.  Both women were at the wheel of the SUV when it crossed the center divider, flipped upside down, and was airborne as it went through Brian’s windshield, killing him instantly. 

In the last seconds of his life, Brian braked and swerved, in a futile attempt to avoid the collision.  In so doing, he placed himself between the oncoming SUV and his wife, pregnant with their first child.  Investigators at the scene said that had he not done so, Erin would also have been killed, along with their daughter.  Erin was severely injured.  Both men in the SUV’s back seat, Jacob Quistorf and Fran Malloy, were killed.  Bowling broke her hip.  Weichert was not injured.

As the SUV bounced down the highway, it disgorged clothing and unbelted passengers as well as belongings that included heroin, methamphetamine, a drug weighing scale, syringes, cooking foil, smoking pipes, and a 25-caliber pistol.  A local sheriff deputy said the SUV occupants constituted half of the drug trade in the north end of Whidbey Island.

Responding paramedics strapped both women in the SUV onto backboards for transport to a local hospital, which prevented the Drug Recognition Expert from completing his assessment of impairment.  Nevertheless, the investigation concluded that both women were operating the SUV simultaneously, and both were charged with vehicular homicide. 

Subsequent lab tests confirmed methamphetamine and carboxy-THC (cannabis) in both women as well as morphine in Weichert.  Bowling pled guilty to three counts of vehicular homicide. A jury trial found Weichert guilty of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault due to driving with disregard for the safety of others with a sentence of 96 months.  Neither was found guilty of DUID, in spite of the judge’s comments during sentencing, “Drugs were a factor in this case.  The fact that the defendants ingested drugs was vehicular assault due to driving under the influence of drugs.”

Brian’s death was mourned by his family over 5,000 worldwide fans of the videogame “Company of Heroes,” who donated funds to the daughter Brian never met.  Brian was the lead designer for the online game.  His father manages the website, DUID Victims’ Voices.