New roadside sign dedicated to young DUI victim

Two years ago this month, 16-year-old Janelle Louise Cooper was killed by a drunk driver as she and a friend walked along 164th Street SW in north Lynnwood.

Over the weekend friends and family dedicated a roadside sign to Janelle, while encouraging others to avoid driving drunk.

The deadly crash happened just before midnight on May 23, 2008, when a truck jumped the curb and slammed into Janelle and her friend. The friend was hospitalized with serious injuries. The driver, 33-year-old Micah Pelton, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. He was sentenced to six years in prison.

More than a third of traffic deaths in Snohomish County last year involved alcohol, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Coalition.

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