Former Kirkland Mayor's son, daughter-in-law killed in car accident

By MATT PHELPS
KIRKLAND REPORTER

The son and daughter-in-law of former Kirkland Mayor Bill Woods were killed Sunday when the car they were in was struck by a drunk driver on Highway 9 in Marysville. Tom (57) and Hilda Woods (62) were with neighbors Melissa (48) and Brad Agerup (54) in their Hyundai Azera when a 2005 Ford Explorer going an estimated 40 mph ran a stop sign near the intersection of 108th Street Northeast and Highway 9, striking the vehicle. All of the occupants in the Azera were killed on impact and were residents of Snohomish.

The Woods also leave behind three grown daughters and two grand-children. The two couples were returning home after visiting the Silver Reef Casino in Whatcom County.

The driver of the Explorer has been identified as Matthew C. McDonald, 27, of Snohomish. The man admitted to police on the scene that he had consumed eight beers and submitted to a breath sample that yielded a blood-alcohol level of 0.123 percent. He is being investigated for four felony charges including vehicular homicide. McDonald initially fled the scene of the accident but returned a short time later. The legal limit is 0.08 percent. McDonald was initially taken to Providence Everett Regional Medical Center for minor injuries but then booked into Snohomish County Jail for investigation of four felony charges. A judge set his bail at $1 million on Monday.

A passenger in the Ford Explorer was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

McDonald was not the only person at the scene arrested for DUI. A 48-year-old investigator with the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's office showed up to the scene of the crash smelling of alcohol.

This article was originally published in the Kirkland Reporter on December 2, 2009.
Matt Phelps can be reached at mphelps@kirklandreporter.com.