A Bonney Lake man died on Dec. 11 as a result of a semi-truck crashing into a vehicle on northbound State Route 167.
According to the Washington State Patrol (WSP), at 7:14 a.m. Dec. 11 on SR 167, just south of State Route 18 in Auburn, a 25-year-old man from Elk Grove, California, who was driving a semi, crashed into 29-year-old Bonney Lake man Robert Pearson. According to the memo, Pearson died as a result of the crash.
“A pump-type truck and a car behind it were stopped for traffic, and a semi struck the car and pushed it into the pump truck, killing the driver of the car,” WSP Trooper Rick Johnson stated. “The causing driver was arrested for vehicular homicide under the disregard for the safety of others prong of that law.”
According to the memo, the third driver involved, the driver in the vehicle in front of Pearson, was not injured. Additionally, the alleged causing driver in the semi was not injured.
Details of the case
According to probable cause documents, at about 7:14 a.m. Dec. 11, the suspect was operating a 2020 Freightliner tractor-trailer combination northbound on SR 167, just south of SR 18. Documents state that as the suspect was traveling, traffic in front of him began to slow down and came to a stop, but the suspect’s Freightliner was unable to stop.
The suspect then struck the rear of a 2010 Mazda 3, pushing it into the rear of a 2016 Peterbilt Vac Truck. The Mazda was then lodged underneath the Freightliner’s cabin, and the driver of the Mazda was pronounced dead at the scene.
Documents state that the suspect told officers that the Mazda rear-ended the Peterbilt Vac Truck, and then the suspect struck the Mazda. The suspect additionally said that he was the only driver of the semi.
However, documents show that the driver of the Peterbilt Vac Truck stated that he was completely stopped for traffic when he was rear-ended. The driver of the Peterbilt Vac Truck stated that he only felt one impact, and its strength was consistent with a big commercial vehicle.
Documents state that a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer arrived at the crash scene and provided officers with the Freightliner’s electronic logbook. Officers found that the suspect indicated in the logbook that he had a co-driver, however, he admitted that he did not. Additionally, officers stated that the suspect appeared to have falsified his logbooks.
“One of the purposes of logbooks is to prevent commercial drivers from driving over the allowed number of hours while being fatigued,” documents state. “It is not uncommon for commercial drivers to falsify their logbooks in order to drive longer distances and make more money.”
Following the crash, officers placed the suspect in custody for vehicular homicide and disregard for safety of others. Two iPhones were seized from the suspect, pending a search warrant.
Documents state that the suspect’s iPhones can include his location data and timestamps, which could help determine the number of hours he had been driving prior to the collision. It could also help determine if the suspect was distracted.
According to the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention jail lookup portal, the suspect was being held at the King County Correctional Facility after his arrest, but he posted a $100,000 bond and is no longer in jail. The lookup portal states that the suspect is still being investigated for vehicular homicide and has not been charged yet.
The Reporter will update this story as developments arise.
