WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A Blaine man has been sentenced for his role in a crash that killed a Lynden school bus driver last year.

Court documents state 38-year-old Samuel Swanson will spend nine and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide on Friday (May 29).

The crash happened on W. Main Street in Lynden on the morning of May 1, 2025, killing bus driver Annette Lyon, who was the only person aboard the bus.

According to police, Swanson was driving nearly 80 mph before he swerved into the direct path of the bus and crashed into it head on, which left him with multiple broken bones. He was arrested last August after investigators learned from one of his friends that Swanson had been sending suicidal texts in the hours leading up to the collision.

Swanson will spend a year and a half in community custody after his prison sentence ends.

A memorial tree and plaque have since been installed at the Lynden Transportation Department building in Annette’s honor.