‘This is 100% preventable:’ Teenage passenger killed in possible DUI crash

ENUMCLAW, Wash. -- One teenager died and four others were injured in a car crash over the weekend. The driver is under arrest for possibly being intoxicated at the time of the accident.

The Washington State Patrol said the crash happened along State Route 410 near milepost 48. Investigators said the group of young people had just left a party in the woods early Sunday morning.

Investigators said the driver of a car, 18-year-old Bryson Stubbles, lost control of his vehicle, over corrected, and slammed into trees, killing his front-seat passenger.

State Patrol says it believes driver in fatal crash was impaired

“This is 100 percent preventable,” said State Patrol Sgt. Tina Martin. “Maybe the driver thought he was OK to drive but clearly he wasn’t and took the life of one of his friends."

Flowers and candles on Monday surrounded the crash site as a memorial for the victims of the crash. The man who had been sitting in the passenger seat of the car, 18-year-old Malek Frees, died at the scene.

In all, four teenagers were all rushed to area hospitals with injuries ranging from serious to life-threatening. Among those injured was a 16-year-old female passenger, said investigators.

WSP believes Stubbles was likely too impaired by drugs or alcohol to be behind the wheel.

“It’s not just the driver’s responsibility, it’s everybody’s responsibility, including the passenger, to not get into the car with an impaired driver,” added Martin.

Officials at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center said Monday that the 16-year-old girl is still listed in serious condition in intensive care.

Stubbles could end up facing vehicular homicide and vehicular assault charges when he is released from the hospital into police custody.