Oct. 4--The driver of a tractor-trailer rig who triggered a fiery fatality this summer on Interstate 5 faces felony charges, a deputy prosecuting attorney said Tuesday.
Diego J. Ayala, 55, has been summoned to appear Oct. 24 in Clark County Superior Court.
Ayala, of La Puente, Calif., faces one count of vehicular homicide for the death of an Austrian tourist and six counts of vehicular assault.
Deputy Prosecutor Tony Golik said he filed the charges after reviewing reports from a Washington State Patrol investigation, which concluded reckless driving was to blame for the June 8 crash.
Ayala was southbound between La Center and Ridgefield about 4:40 p.m when his 2002 Freightliner smashed into a 2006 Toyota Highlander, trapping the Highlander under its front bumper as it continued forward. The rig-Highlander combo struck four other vehicles before veering into a guardrail and bursting into flames.
The Highlander's driver, 27-year-old Amir Hozaien of Vienna, Austria, died of smoke inhalation.
The other vehicles included a 1994 Honda Passport, which caught fire. Its driver and two passengers, all of Vancouver, sustained injuries including broken bones, burns and concussions. The last three counts of vehicular assault were for minor injuries sustained by two Puget Sound residents, who were in a 2004 Suzuki station wagon, and for a Vancouver resident in a 1995 Ford Escort who had to see a chiropractor for injuries to her head, neck and back.
At the time of the crash, motorists in two lanes were slowly merging into the right lane because of construction.
One witness told investigators that Ayala was going about 60 mph and didn't slow down when he approached the heavy traffic, according to court records. The witness said there would have been room for Ayala to stop if only he had applied the brakes. Another witness said she did not see the rig's brake lights go on before it plowed into the Highlander.
Ayala, who was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, was working for Mike Campbell and Associates of Industry, Calif., according to the Washington State Patrol.
Steve Pilcher, the company's transportation manager, said Tuesday he had no comment on the pending charges.
He also would not comment on whether Ayala still works for the company.
Stephanie Rice covers the courts. She can be reached at 360-759-8004 or stephanie.rice@columbian.com.
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