Driver charged with DUI, vehicular assault after semi-truck crash in Tacoma
TACOMA, Wash. - The driver of a semi truck that rolled over and crashed on SR 16 in Tacoma this week now faces charges of driving under the influence.
Prosecutors have charged 45-year-old Allan Joseph Cline with two counts of vehicular assault, both with added designations of driving under the influence. Cline was in the semi truck when it overturned and crashed near the Sprague Ave ramp around 4:45 p.m. on Monday.
Two people were seriously injured in the crash — one victim had a fracture to their neck and skull, and the other had fractured ribs. Both drivers are currently recovering at the hospital.
According to probable cause documents obtained by FOX 13 Seattle, state troopers arrived shortly after the crash and spoke with Cline, who "appeared to be unbalanced" and whose "eyes appeared bloodshot and watery." The troopers asked Cline questions, but his responses were slow and slurred, according to court documents, and he was very lethargic when walking.
Cline told troopers he had only drank a single beer, but court records say he blew a BAC of .398, nearly five times the state's legal limit of .08.
A BAC of .4 or higher can be fatal.
Cline's bail was set at $50,000, and if he is released before trial, the court has barred him from driving commercial vehicles, and he must use an ignition interlock device on his personal vehicle.
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