Driver allegedly under influence in Nov. 12 serious-injury crash

UPDATE: Jenna D. Raffelson pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to driving under the influence and reckless driving in March 2019 and was sentenced May 5, 2019, to 180 days with credit for one day served. Of the remaining 179 days, Raffelson was permitted to serve 119 days through the jail’s work release program and 60 days on electronic home monitoring, according to court records.

A Ridgefield woman was allegedly driving under the influence when her car went off the road and hit a tree stump, seriously injuring her passenger.

Jenna D. Raffelson, 26, had an estimated blood-alcohol level of 0.143 at the time of the Nov. 12 crash in the 28000 block of Northwest 51st Avenue in Ridgefield, court records state. In Washington, a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or more is considered evidence of drunken driving.

Her passenger, 43-year-old Sherree Clark, suffered lacerations to her right kidney and adrenal gland, as well as several fractured bones, including multiple right-side ribs, and her upper right arm, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded about 3:25 a.m. for a 2009 Toyota Camry that had crashed while traveling on 51st Avenue, just north of a private driveway in the 28100 block. The car had gone off the road and traveled about 65 feet on the shoulder before hitting a stump. The car rotated counterclockwise and came to a rest facing west, the affidavit states.

Clark was transported via ambulance to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.

Raffelson admitted to drinking alcohol before the crash. Deputies said they could smell alcohol on her breath, and her eyes were bloodshot and watery. A preliminary breath test registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.155, court records say.

A search warrant was obtained to collect Raffelson’s blood for further testing, and toxicology testing determined she had a blood-alcohol level of about 0.143, according to court documents.

On Wednesday, Raffelson appeared in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of vehicular assault. She was granted supervised release and will be arraigned March 20.