v.
Vonda Valisa Pritchard
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 69862-1-1 ^ ^ Respondent, DIVISION ONE N> Ti^C %£} -t^-o •;••'. v.
UNPUBLISHED OPINION ^ W". VONDA VALISA PRITCHARD, Appellant. FILED: April 29, 2013
Appelwick, J. — This appeal arises from Pritchard's conviction for vehicular assault. She challenges the sufficiency of her charging document and the admissibility of evidence relating to her intoxication while driving. We affirm.
FACTS
Around 7:30 p.m. on July 5, 2010, Vonda Pritchard was driving her dark green Land Rover sport utility vehicle eastbound on Highway 101 just outside of Port Angeles, Washington. She attempted to make a left turn at a high speed, knocked over a yield sign, hit a ditch, became airborne, and then collided with another car heading the opposite direction. One witness observed Pritchard weaving in her lane before the crash, and began calling 911 before Pritchard even collided with the other car, "because it didn't look good." The same witness testified that Pritchard was moving "way too fast" to make the turn. Shirley Holman, the passenger in the other car, suffered a fractured rib and a dislocated wrist.
Washington State Patrol Trooper John Ryan responded to the scene of the accident moments later. He found Pritchard slumped from the driver's seat over on to the passenger side of her car. He thought she appeared "highly intoxicated," because her eyes were bloodshot and watery, he smelled alcohol on her, and he noticed an No. 69862-1-1/2
open container of alcohol in her driver side door. But, at that point, Trooper Ryan did not arrest Pritchard. From the scene, Pritchard was transported by ambulance to Olympic Memorial Hospital. She was brought into the emergency room strapped to a full c-spine backboard with her head immobilized. While she was still strapped to the backboard, Trooper Ryan entered Pritchard's hospital room and told her that he was investigating the collision. Pritchard asked him what happened. After explaining the accident, Trooper Ryan asked Pritchard where she had been. She responded that she was driving from Traylor's, a restaurant and bar on the outskirts of Port Angeles. He then asked her if she had been drinking. Pritchard admitted that she had three drinks at Traylor's and one earlier in the day. When she declined to perform voluntary sobriety tests, Trooper Ryan placed her under arrest for driving under the influence (DUI) and read her Miranda1 rights to her. After arresting Pritchard, Trooper Ryan went back to his office to begin writing a report and filling out a DUI ticket. A few hours later he returned to the hospital and read Pritchard a special evidence warning that her blood would be tested without her consent to determine the concentration of alcohol or drugs. Around 11:30 p.m., a phlebotomist drew two vials of blood from Pritchard. The vials were then sent to the Washington State Toxicology Laboratory (WSTL) for testing. Test results showed that Pritchard's blood alcohol content was .14 four hours after the collision. The State charged Pritchard by criminal information with all three alternatives to vehicular assault under RCW 46.61.522(1). The trial court instructed the jury that it No. 69862-1-1/9 No. 69862-1-1/11 No. 69862-1-1/12 No. 69862-1-1/13 No. 69862-1-1/14 No. 69862-1-1/15 No. 69862-1-1/16
[*8][*10][*11][*12][*13][*14][*15]Interpretation of a privilege statute is a question of law that we review de novo. Drewett v. Rainier Sch.. 60 Wn. App. 728, 731, 806 P.2d 1260 (1991). RCW 5.62.020 provides that, unless the patient consents to disclosure, No registered nurse providing primary care or practicing under protocols.. . may be examined in a civil or criminal action as to any information acquired in attending a patient in the registered nurse's professional capacity, if the information was necessary to enable the registered nurse to act in that capacity for the patient.161 However, if any violation of Pritchard's nurse-patient privilege occurred, it was harmless. Pritchard contends that the testimony helped clarify the timeline of her blood draw and was relevant to the toxicologist's retrograde extrapolation analysis. But, separate testimony established the time of the accident and the time of Pritchard's legal blood draw, which is the relevant time frame to calculate intoxication under RCW 46.61.502. The State toxicologist also testified that the blood test procedure separates drinking alcohol (ethanol) from other alcohols and compounds found in the blood. Essentially, the testing process eliminates any substances that would interfere with detection of ethanol. The testimony that no fluids or medications had been administered was not necessary to establish the validity of the blood alcohol test. Therefore, none of the challenged testimony was necessary to sustain Pritchard's conviction.
[*16]No. 69862-1-1/17
Pritchard also argues that Nurse Peterson's testimony violated her rights under HIPAA. HIPAA restricts health care entities from disclosing protected health information. Llovd v. Valley Forge Life Ins. Co.. No. C06-5325 FDB, 2007 WL 906150, at *3 (W.D. Wash. Mar. 23, 2007). But, HIPPA permits disclosure in judicial proceedings in response to a court order or subpoena, if notice is given and the parties agree to a qualified protective order. 45 C.F.R. § 164.512(e)-(f). Without any further explanation or argument, Pritchard contends that the State failed to follow the correct HIPAA procedures in securing Peterson's testimony. However, the record shows that Nurse Peterson was subpoenaed to testify. And, the court entered a protective order to prevent disclosure of Pritchard's medical records. We find no HIPAA violation. We find no error affecting the special verdict for driving under the influence or her sentence based on her intoxication level. We affirm. WE CONCUR: Acl. %eck^\SL ^ *JJ<^ T
[*17]