Two Injured in Possible DUI Truck Accident on SR 104 in Jefferson County, WA
Jefferson County, WA -- February 17, 2023, two people were injured following an accident where a dump truck and a car collided on SR 104.
Emergency responders were called to the area of State Route 104 and State Route 19 Friday afternoon. The exact cause of the crash remains unclear, but it appears driving under the influence may be the cause.
Details say that a semi-truck and a passenger vehicle somehow collided, resulting in two people being airlifted from the scene. Police say driving under the influence is a suspected factor, and the incident is a "possible vehicular assault," according to state troopers.
I certainly don't know anything more than what's already public, so I don't want anyone mistaking anything I say here as a hasty conclusion or a condemnation of anyone involved here. But while possible impairment is always serious, it's important to understand why that factor in a commercial truck wreck can be quite a bit more challenging than normal.
If a passenger vehicle driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they generally face charges and get a court date. The same tends to prove true for commercial drivers, as well. But when it's the commercial driver responsible, it raises questions of whether or not their employer knew or should have known one of their drivers was a risk to the public. Is that something authorities are looking into here, at least to possibly rule it out?
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