Bail was set at $50,000 Monday for a 27-year-old Renton man who was arrested on investigation of hitting and critically injuring a woman who was was walking or jogging on Lake Washington Boulevard Saturday morning.

The Renton Reporter is not naming the man until he is formally charged, expected on Wednesday at the latest.

Police suspect the man was driving drunk, according to court documents. He lives in the 1000 block of Lake Washington Boulevard, not far from where the woman was hit at about 8:45 a.m.

He faces charges of vehicular assault and felony hit and run.According to court documents, the man was southbound on Lake Washington Boulevard when his 2003 Hyundai Sante Fe drifted off the roadway, struck a guardrail and a street sign. He continued south at about 35 mph, striking 54-year-old Rosalind  M. Hall as she was northbound in a pedestrian pathway.

A witness told investigators that Hall was thrown 30 to 40 feet in the air, about 20 feet down an embankment.

She suffered numerous broken bones and cuts and bruises and her son told investigators Sunday that she is expected to survive. She was in the intensive-care unit at Harborview Medical Center.

The suspect drove off but returned about five minutes later, according to documents. He told officers that he must have fallen asleep. A half full bottle single-malt scotch whiskey fell out of his car when an officer opened the passenger-side door.

He initially told officers he hadn't been drinking, but later admitted he had. His blood-alcohol level was .157, about double the state's legal limit.

 

Contact Renton Reporter Editor Dean Radford at editor@rentonreporter.com or 1-425-255-3484 (ext 5050).

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.