Police Report Says Kirkland Driver in Fatal Collision Had Sleep Disorder

A 56-year-old Kirkland driver involved in a collision last October that killed a bicyclist had a sleep condition and had reportedly been advised by a doctor not to drive, according to an investigative report by Everett Police.

The Everett Police Department on Tuesday recommended the man be charged with vehicular homicide. The case is now in the hands of the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office.

The investigation showed that the Kirkland man was driving a pickup truck southbound in the 10600 block of Evergreen Way in Everett on Oct. 17 when the vehicle drifted left across the center and three northbound lanes. The bicyclist, 30-year-old Trenton M. Graham of Everett, was hit and died at the scene.

The Everett police report said an investigation showed the Kirkland man was involved in a similar incident in Renton on March of 2010, driving off Sunset Boulevard and hitting a power pole, with no apparent injuries. The investigating Everett officer wrote “the dynamics of the Renton collision seemed remarkably similar to this collision.”

A Renton police report at the time noted that the driver claimed he had a sleeping disorder and had to take medication to stay awake, and that he told officers he lost consciousness. Furthermore, he told officers his doctor advised him he should not be driving because he is subject to losing consciousness.

In the Everett collision, police say the Kirkland man claimed the crash occurred when the vehicle began veering and he over-corrected. But the Everett police report said surveillance video of the collision showed “no obvious effort to correct.” When asked about any existing medical conditions, the man asked to speak with an attorney.

Patch typically does not identify suspects unless and until they are charged with a crime.

For an earlier Kirkland Patch story on the crash, click here.