Waiting on a wreck resolution

COEUR d'ALENE - The chaos on Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive in January left a lasting impact on Sheri Bullock and her three children.

The lingering effect is due in part to a lack of criminal charges against the woman accused of causing the series of vehicle crashes.

Bullock was driving her kids to school the morning of Jan. 21 when they witnessed a car accident on Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive. Patricia Desmet, 61, was driving her Subaru when a Mercedes SUV, allegedly driven by Kara Powers, 33, approached on the wrong side of the road. Desmet attempted to swerve away, but was unsuccessful.

"We had to sort of swerve out of the way to avoid being involved in it and then we pulled over," Bullock said. "I got out of the car, left my kids in the car and went to check to see if everybody was OK. The woman that was hit was out of the car at that point and we were parked probably about 30 yards or so behind her."

After Desmet told Bullock she was all right, Bullock said she then went to go check on Powers, whose vehicle was on the other side of the road.

"At that point she was getting out of her car and was walking like she was in a daze. Like she was in shock," Bullock said. "She was not even looking at me or speaking at all but was just walking toward the car that she hit, which in my mind made sense because when you get in a car accident you talk to the other party and do the whole thing and everybody leaves."

The two were walking by Bullock's car when she said Powers told her she needed to sit down. Powers, according to Bullock, then opened the door to Bullock's car and sat down in the driver's seat while reaching for the gear shift.

"At that point I said 'Oh no no no no' and I screamed to my kids to get out of the car," Bullock said. "All three of them unbuckled and she sort of went like almost catatonic. She would just not let go of the steering wheel."

Bullock said Powers then drove her car, with her three children still inside, for about 30 yards and once again hit Desmet's Subaru.

"The next day I had bruises all up and down my side and my kids said that I was dragged. I was running and doing anything I could to get my kids out. It was such a split second where I was thinking 'Oh my gosh you can't leave with my kids in the car,'" Bullock said. "So when she hit the first car again I was right there."

Her middle son was able to kick the back door open and leave the vehicle. While her 13-year-old son repeatedly hit Powers in order to "stall her," Bullock was able to get her daughter from the vehicle.

The teen then jumped out of the car just before Powers sped down Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive.

"I just jumped on top of all of them on the side of the road," Bullock said. "My middle son had a concussion and his nose was bleeding. We were all sort of dazed."

While on the phone with 911, Bullock learned about the third crash allegedly caused by Powers. According to police reports, Powers was driving Bullock's car at high speeds and eventually rear-ended a Dodge pickup near Potlatch Hill. Both vehicles rolled multiple times and William Akin, the 48-year-old driver of the pickup, was severely injured.

"It was beyond terrifying for all of us. I don't even know if terrifying is the right word or if there is even a word to describe how scary the whole thing was," Bullock said. "They (her kids) all did exactly what they should have done in order to get out of the car. But with that also comes a little surprise that they were able to do those things. I don't have kids that are fighters, so to speak, but they fought to get away."

Bullock added that she has "no doubt God had laser vision on Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive" that day because of the way everything happened.

"There should have probably been multiple fatalities," Bullock said. "Above all, we are just so grateful that our kids are safe and we got them out. We can work through all the other stuff."

Two civil complaints have been filed against Powers in connection to the accidents, the most recent by Farmers Insurance Company of Idaho. The insurer is denying all coverage under Powers' policy for damages that occurred while she was behind the wheel of Bullock's vehicle.

"Defendant Kara L. Powers claims that she is insured under those same policies when she drove the Bullock Volvo into the Akin pickup," the complaint states. "Kara L. Powers denies knowing Sheri A. Bullock and has no memory of what happened on Jan. 21, 2014, and in particular has no memory of how she came to be in possession of the 2003 Volvo XC9 she was driving at the time of the crash with the Akin vehicle."

Criminal charges are still pending and, according to Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh, the case was sent back to the sheriff's office for further investigation.

"The circumstances raise the possibility of a variety of serious charges," McHugh said. "All the offenses relating to the incident will be considered and charged, if that is appropriate, at the same time to avoid double jeopardy problems. Charging obvious lesser charges from a single incident immediately might preclude more serious charges later."

McHugh added he is confident the sheriff's office is conducting the follow-up investigation with "due haste" and that accident reconstruction and medical information were included in his office's request.

Bullock said she understands that the incident is unique and, as such, requires the sheriff's office to be careful with its investigation. However, the feeling of being left in the dark is "frustrating."

"I feel at this point, my kids especially need to see that there are consequences with actions. They need to feel that the police and courts are on their side," Bullock said. "It's time for something to happen, for some sort of resolution. Even if it's one we aren't expecting or that the community doesn't agree with, we can at least move forward from that."