WSP: Trooper crash appears to be tragic accident
Nov 18, 2013, 1:41 PM | Updated: 2:04 pm
Investigators say a fatal accident involving state trooper Sean O'Connell last spring appears to be nothing more than a tragic accident. (KIRO file)
(KIRO file)
Investigators say a fatal accident involving a state trooper in Skagit County last spring appears to be nothing more than a tragic accident.
Trooper Sean O’Connell’s motorcycle collided with a box truck just before 6 p.m. on May 31 at the intersection of Fir Island Road and Greenfield St. south of Mount Vernon.
“There was no one single cause for this tragedy,” said Captain Charles LeBlanc, commander of the Patrol’s Criminal Investigation Division.
The investigation is ongoing, but detectives say they’ve determined the fundamental facts of what occurred.
Washington State Patrol says O’Connell was driving up the shoulder, outside the fog line, and passing the box truck on the right side.
“Passing on the right is something our troopers are trained to do in the performance of their duties, and like many of our duties, it involves risks,” said LeBlanc.
As the two vehicles approached the intersection, the box truck made a right turn and O’Connell’s motorcycle hit the truck.
WSP said a guard rail was another factor in the collision. Its presence cut off O’Connell’s avenue of potential escape.
O’Connell did not have emergency lights or sirens on, which is what troopers are trained to do. The WSDPT said some drivers will make sudden maneuvers to the right if they hear a siren.
Speed was not a factor in the crash.
The driver of the box truck has agreed to a voluntary blood test for alcohol or drugs and the WSP said there’s no evidence he was impaired. No citations have been issued and no charges are being sought.
Sean O’Connell is the 28th Washington State Patrol Trooper to be killed in the line of duty, according to the WSP.
