A metal shelf unit that fell out of the bed of a truck resulted in a fatal crash that claimed the life of a Lake Forest Park man.
About 11:15 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 18, a black Ford truck traveling northbound on Interstate 5 lost a metal shelf unit out of the truck bed as it approached NE 175th Street in Shoreline, according to Washington State Patrol officials.
A red Honda passenger car was traveling behind the truck. When the driver swerved to the left to avoid striking the shelf, the car crossed lanes. A cream-colored Lincoln Town car struck the driver’s side of the Honda, killing the driver of the Honda, 43-year-old Gavin Coffee.
Two other vehicles also were involved in the collision, but the occupants only sustained minor injuries.
The driver of the truck continued northbound and shortly after noon, State Patrol officers received a phone call from a man who said he was the driver of the truck. Troopers then contacted the man at his home and placed him in custody.
As the troopers prepared to transport the suspect to King County Jail, it was determined that the man’s grandson had been driving the truck at the time of the accident. Troopers contacted the man’s 21-year-old grandson, of Everett, placed him in custody and booked him into King County Jail at about 4:30 p.m. that day.
The suspect was released later that day, said King County prosecutor spokesman Dan Donahoe. The case, which is still being investigated by the State Patrol, is expected to be referred to the prosecuting attorney’s office later this week.
“It will be several days before we have a decision on charges,” Donahoe said.
Failure to secure a load, if it results in injury or death, is a gross misdemeanor, punishable of up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine, said Donahoe.
This is the first case in King County, and possibly in the state, to be tried under a new law that went into effect July 2005, Donahoe said. The Washington legislature recently increased penalties for failing to secure a vehicle load after the issue was brought to the public’s attention by the Maria Federici case.
In February 2004, Federici was driving home from work in the southbound lanes of I-405 at Renton, when an entertainment center fell from a trailer in front of her vehicle. A piece of particle board hit her windshield and struck her face, causing blindness and necessitating much facial reconstruction.
“I am not aware of any other cases in the state of Washington since the new law went into effect,” Donahoe said.
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