A Sumner woman who was killed along with four children in a crash on state Route 512 in January had double the legal blood-alcohol content in her system when she got behind the wheel of her SUV, according to new investigation details.
Toxicology results show that 29-year-old Kiarra Monaghan's blood-alcohol content was 0.201% when she drove in the early morning of Jan. 14, according to Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis in an email. The legal limit in Washington is 0.08%.
Temperatures were low, but there was no evidence of ice or any sort of roadway conditions as a factor of the crash, Loftis said. Witness accounts, the impact of the crash on the SUV and bridge infrastructure shows that Monaghan was driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.
There was also no evidence of braking, and the investigation found no signs of suicide or intentional act.
"Rather, this seems to be a case of an extremely impaired person unaware of their speed or peril and so far behind in their road perception and response time that the impact was sudden and simply not survivable for anyone in the vehicle," Loftis said.
Monaghan was driving a 2017 Ford Flex with four children in the car when it left the road and crashed into a post that supports the overpass at 31st Avenue Southwest at about 4:20 a.m., The News Tribune reported.
One of the children was ejected from the vehicle and died. The silver-colored SUV then caught fire.
Monaghan died from multiple blunt-force injuries. Her two children, 12-year-old Noah Monaghan and 3-year-old Amiyah Eutimio, were two of the victims and died from multiple blunt-force injuries, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office in a news release.
Amiira Little, 11, died from blunt trauma, smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. TaeShon Manuel, 11, died from blunt head, torso and extremity trauma, the news release said.
The medical examiner said that Monaghan and the childrens' manner of death is listed as an accident.
Monaghan reportedly posted social media content in the hours before the crash where she appeared to be drunk and rambling. Some of those posts included images of the now-deceased children. Loftis said those posts "simply added to the sadness of the incident and to the community's sense that someone should have seen this coming and stepped in to prevent it."
No charges have been filed or are being contemplated at this point against people Monaghan was with before she loaded the kids into her car and drove off, Loftis said..
Generally, Loftis said, adults should never drive impaired, never let others drive impaired and always look out for children because they are all "ours" when it comes to safety.
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