Former Seahawks FB Derrick Coleman charged with vehicular assault, felony hit-and-run

Former Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman has been charged with vehicular assault and felony hit-and-run in connection with an October crash in Bellevue that left another driver injured.

The King County Prosecutor’s Office announced the decision Friday, more than four months after Bellevue Police handed the case over for review with a recommendation of both charges. Coleman has an arraignment scheduled for June 16 at the King County Courthouse. If convicted of both charges, he could face 12 to 14 months of jail time.

Coleman, 25, was arrested on Oct. 14 after a two-car crash in which, according to Bellevue Police’s report, his Dodge Ram pickup truck rear-ended a Honda Civic, forcing it up an embankment and flipping it upside down before it came to rest on its hood. According to BPD, Coleman’s truck was traveling over 60 mph in a 35-mph zone and continued to fully accelerate without braking after hitting the back of the Honda.

The driver of the Honda, 57-year-old Kris Fine of Bellevue, sustained a broken collarbone and a concussion. According to the charging documents from the prosecutor’s office, Fine continues to experience symptoms related to those injuries. He told KIRO 7 in January that he was considering a lawsuit but that he has no hard feelings toward Coleman.

Coleman admitted to police that he had smoked synthetic marijuana – known as “spice” – before the crash. Police found an open packet containing a synthetic cannabinoid in Coleman’s truck along with other packets of a different synthetic cannabinoid and several packets of marijuana edibles, according to the police report.

Coleman showed signs of impairment while conducting a field sobriety test, according to the charging documents. A blood test taken six and a half hours after the crash did not reveal any drugs in Coleman’s system.

Under the charge for vehicular assault, the charging documents state that Coleman was under the influence at the time of the crash.

Coleman’s attorneys have maintained that he didn’t knowingly leave the scene of the accident. Diego Vargas told “The John Clayton Show” in January that Coleman, who is legally deaf, was concussed as a result of the accident and became disoriented.

Coleman joined the Seahawks in December 2012 when he signed with their practice squad. He spent parts of the next three seasons on Seattle’s active roster, serving as the team’s starting fullback while also playing on special teams, but was not re-signed this offseason when his contract expired. He’s currently an unrestricted free agent.