State v. Erdman

Robert Erdman, the driver of an automobile involved in a head-on collision fatal to the other driver, is appealing from his conviction of negligent homicide by means of a motor vehicle. The only assignment of error relates to a chemical analysis of a sample of his blood used by the state to raise a presumption that he was under the influence of intoxicating liquor at the time of the accident. See RCW 46.56.010; Seattle v. Bryan (1958), 53 Wn. (2d) 321, 333 P. (2d) 680.

The sample of the defendant’s blood was obtained, with his consent, at a hospital immediately following the accident. It was…