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Suspected impaired driver slams into Marysville home, killing 97-year-old woman

A driver suspected of being under the influence ran over a cyclist and then slammed into a Marysville home, killing a 97-year-old woman, police said.

MARYSVILLE, Wash. — A driver suspected of being under the influence ran over a cyclist and then slammed into a Marysville home, killing a 97-year-old woman inside, police said.

“I saw a headlight and I saw a bumper and then I had this realization of what it was, there was a car in my mom’s bedroom, right where her bed was,” said Wanda, who did not want to provide her last name.

She said she was sound asleep in her home in the 8400 block of 55th Avenue around 2 a.m. on Saturday when she was awoken by an "excruciating" loud bang.

Wanda said she ran down the hallway to find a 1971 Chevy Impala fully inside her mom’s bedroom. The crash killed her mother, Helen.

“She lived an absolutely amazing life, she was a beautiful loving lady, she did not deserve this,” Wanda said.

Marysville Police arrested the 42-year-old driver, a Marysville man, who they said may have been under the influence. Police said his license was suspended or revoked. The investigation is ongoing.

KING 5 searched his name in state court records and found he's been a defendant in dozens of cases going back decades.

The driver is now in the Snohomish County Jail where he was booked on two felonies: vehicular homicide/reckless driving and vehicular assault.

“There is no doubt that excessive high speeds played a role in this tragedy,” Sgt. Davis of the Marysville collision investigation unit said in a press release.

Charges are expected to be filed on Wednesday, the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office said. KING 5 does not name suspects until they have been charged.

The cyclist who was hit lost a leg and had severe internal bleeding. His injuries are life threatening, according to court documents.

Wanda said her mom just celebrated her 97th birthday.

“Can you imagine what she’s gone through and seen in her life? She had six children and I don't even know how many grandchildren, she came from a family of 11, and grew up in the Depression, you just think of all the things she’s gone through,” Wanda said.

“I’m just praying that there will be justice,” she said.

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