A Bonney Lake man died following a multi-vehicle collision involving a semi-truck on northbound State Route 167 in Auburn, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The crash occurred at about 7:14 a.m. on Dec. 11, just south of State Route 18. WSP said a 25-year-old man from Elk Grove, California, was driving a semi-truck when it struck a stopped vehicle driven by 29-year-old Robert Pearson of Bonney Lake. Pearson died as a result of the collision.
Trooper Rick Johnson said traffic had come to a stop when the semi crashed into Pearson’s car, pushing it into a pump-style truck stopped ahead. The driver of the pump truck was not injured, and neither was the driver of the semi.
According to probable cause documents, the semi was unable to stop as traffic slowed. The Freightliner tractor-trailer struck the rear of Pearson’s 2010 Mazda 3, forcing it into a 2016 Peterbilt vacuum truck. Pearson was pronounced dead at the scene.
The semi-truck driver initially told officers that the Mazda struck the truck in front before he made contact. However, the driver of the Peterbilt truck stated he was fully stopped and felt only one impact consistent with being struck by a large commercial vehicle.
Investigators also reviewed the semi’s electronic logbook and determined the driver had falsely indicated he was traveling with a co-driver. Officers said the logbooks appeared to have been falsified, raising concerns about potential driver fatigue.
WSP noted that logbooks are used to limit the number of hours commercial drivers can operate to reduce fatigue-related crashes. Officers seized two cellphones from the driver as part of the investigation, pending a search warrant.
The semi-truck driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide under the disregard for the safety of others provision of state law. Jail records show he was booked into the King County Correctional Facility but later posted a $100,000 bond. The investigation remains ongoing, and no formal charges have been filed at this time.
