A Washington state trucker was reportedly cited for his involvement in a collision with a Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper after a collision technical specialist determined the WSP Trooper was at fault, according to an investigation by KING5.
Truck driver Shawn Foutch was supposedly cleared via dash cam video and corroboration with the specialist, according to local NBC affiliate KING 5. Then, three months after the crash, Foutch reportedly received a citation that carried a $553 fine, the outlet reported. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Whistleblower Reveals Law Enforcement Isn’t Vetting Sponsors For Child Migrants)
Video showed Foutch driving around 60 miles per hour when WSP rookie Phirawat Apisit moved left across multiple lanes to pull directly in front of the trucker, leading to the collision. Officers responding to the incident reportedly wrote that they “sensed a strong odor of intoxicants” coming from Foutch, but he passed the field sobriety and breathalyzer tests, according to incident reports obtained by KING 5.
“They took it a little personally,” the WSP crash expert said of superiors who cited a civilian driver, who was also injured in the crash. https://t.co/7X0S5XhXcR
— KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) April 26, 2023
Investigating officers reportedly claimed that Foutch’s dash cam showed that the truck failed to slow down sufficiently, and that it was apparent that Apisit checked before making lane changes, KING 5 reported.
“It’s not going to stop fast,” Foutch said, saying he feared his truck would jack-knife if he slammed on the brakes too hard, according to the outlet.
The technical specialist told officers not to charge Foutch and said Apisit’s fellow officers “took it a little personally, I think, just because it’s, you know, their guy got hurt,” according to KING 5
The King County Prosecutor’s Office ultimately dismissed the case, calling the WSP’s investment in the case ‘unusual,’ the outlet reported.
“The infraction never should have been issued,” WSP spokesperson Chris Loftis told KING 5, “We didn’t meet our own standards of fundamental fairness.”
Foutch is glad they have apologized but said, “that does not nearly begin to make up for what they did,” KING 5 reported, noting that even though the citation is not criminal, it could cost Foutch his commercial driver’s license.