PREVIOUSLY

• Eureka Pedestrian Seriously Injured As Suspected Intoxicated Driver Crashes Into Them on Broadway

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A Eureka woman accused of striking a pedestrian on Broadway last week while driving intoxicated has been formally charged for the crash. Raeleen Olson, 55, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, court records show.

The pedestrian’s family is fundraising for funeral expenses, and are arranging now to donate his organs as his “final gift.”

The pedestrian was in the Intensive Care Unit Monday morning, according to Providence St. Joseph. According to a message on GoFundMe by his niece, Madison Dumas, 35-year-old James Christopher Lee suffered “a catastrophic brain injury, 5 skull fractures, a broken shoulder, a broken clavicle, a fractured pelvis, and broken ribs.”

“His carotid arteries are also no longer supplying blood to his brain, and he has been determined to be legally brain dead,” she wrote.

The driver, Olson, faces a felony charge for causing injury while driving under the influence. The court intends to specify this charge was for driving under the influence of drugs, according to court minutes.

She faces a serious sentencing enhancement for allegedly causing brain injury, alongside a misdemeanor for meth possession.

Eureka police said she was found to be under the influence following a field sobriety test administered at the scene of the collision on October 14.

Broadway has been the site of multiple incidents where a driver struck a pedestrian, seriously injuring or killing them.

Data compiled by the Eureka Police Department found that, along with Fourth and Fifth streets, Broadway is one of the most dangerous thoroughfares in the county. More traffic collisions happen on Broadway than any other street in the city. Eureka ranks among the worst in the state for serious traffic collisions across the board, according to data from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Recent fatal collisions along this stretch of U.S. Highway 101 include the death of 20-year-old Ronnie Franklin, who was struck by an alleged drunk driver while he was moving road cones. And earlier this year, close to where last week’s pedestrian was struck, was another fatal accident where an 83-year-old pedestrian was hit by a driver in an RV.

A hearing to see if the driver can be released while the case progresses is set for Tuesday. The Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent Olson during a hearing Friday, court minutes reflect.

Eureka Police asks those with information on this incident to contact the investigations unit at 707-441-4300.