Truck driver charged in fatal wreck

The Daily Inter Lake

The driver of a dump truck that struck and killed a 16-year-old girl has been charged with felony criminal endangerment.

Andrew Johnson, 51, of Kalispell, reportedly failed to stop at a sign at the intersection of Stillwater Road and West Reserve Drive on June 23. His truck slammed into a Subaru Legacy station wagon, driven by Allison Fifield. She died at the scene.

Johnson was arrested Thursday on a warrant, carrying a $10,000 bond.

County Attorney Ed Corrigan filed a court document saying that, according to Johnson, "He has, on a number of prior occasions, chosen not to come to a complete stop at that intersection when hauling gravel on Stillwater Road; that appears to be a common practice amongst drivers hauling gravel in that area" as a means of saving wear-and-tear on their vehicles, Corrigan said.

Witnesses said Johnson was going pretty fast when he hit Fifield and did not appear to brake or slow down at the intersection.

Johnson has been "extremely remorseful and very cooperative" during the investigation, the document says. He stated that he slowed down and looked for oncoming traffic at the intersection but did not see Fifield's vehicle.

According to Kalispell police, who investigated the crash, Johnson's truck was not current on mandatory annual inspections. The truck's brakes would have failed inspection, according to an investigation by the Montana Highway Patrol. However, the condition of the brakes "had nothing to do with the accident," said Lt. Roger Nasset of Kalispell Police Department.

Corrigan said he put a lot of thought into the decision to charge Johnson with felony endangerment, rather than negligent homicide.

"There is no atonement for something like this that adequately addresses that we have a 16-year-old girl who was killed," Corrigan said.

He considered that Johnson was not going extremely fast at the time of the crash, as evidenced by an accident reconstruction. Neither alcohol nor drugs were a factor, Corrigan said.

But he is troubled by the "pattern of driving" he has learned about in the West Valley area.

Commercial drivers "have got a higher responsibility than other motorists; you can't stop on a dime" with a 50,000-pound load, Corrigan said. They are "obligated as professional drivers to stop completely" at controlled intersections.

Kalispell police Chief Frank Garner said patrols in the area have increased, and officers have met with construction companies, warning them that traffic violations will be treated seriously.

Johnson faces as many as 10 years in prison and a fine of as much as $50,000 if convicted.