Custer man arrested after Birch Bay-Lynden Road accident

An August 28 vehicle collision on Birch Bay-Lynden Road and Holiday Drive resulted in a Blaine resident being sent to the hospital and the arrest of a Custer man for vehicular assault. Lanes were blocked for about five hours after the Friday night crash until Washington State Patrol (WSP) advised the county open roads near 2 a.m., a WSP spokesperson said.

WSP officers responded to the collision at 9:17 p.m. after 25-year-old Blaine resident Christopher J. Galindo attempted to turn his 2009 Isuzu NPR truck left on Holiday Drive from the westbound land of Birch Bay-Lynden Road, according to a press release from the agency.

Galindo hit Brian Alan Johnson, a 47-year-old Custer resident, who was driving a 2003 silver Chevrolet Malibu eastbound on Birch Bay-Lynden Road. Johnson, uninjured, was driving under the influence, according to the release. Both cars were totaled.

Galindo was transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham for serious injuries, according to the WSP spokesperson. The drivers were wearing seatbelts at the time of the
accident.

Johnson was arrested and booked in Whatcom County Jail for vehicular assault at 12:14 a.m. on August 29, according to jail booking data. He was released on a $25,000 appearance bond on August 30, jail data shows.