A 22-year-old Enumclaw man has been charged in a fatal crash that killed one of his passengers and severely injured the other.
Kyle Joseph Podolak faces one count of vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault in connection with the April 22 crash in Orting. He is to be arraigned Aug. 17.
Killed in the crash was Brandon Duprie, 21, of Enumclaw. The other passenger suffered a spinal fracture and now has a metal plate and screws in his back. Podolak fractured his left arm.
According to charging documents, a couple driving by state Route 162 and Orville Road East about 1:25 a.m. noticed a truck lying on its side in a ditch and stopped to help. Two men were able to crawl out of the windows and were yelling for Duprie.
While paramedics were treating the two injured men, authorities used a heat-seeking device to search for Duprie. They found his body in brush and brambles 50 feet from the truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Washington State Patrol estimated Podolak was driving 60 to 64 miles per hour as he came around a sharp left turn with a suggested speed of 25 mph. He drove off the road to the right, over-corrected and drove across the road to the left. Podolak’s truck rolled, went through a 6-foot chain-link fence and hit a power pole.
Speed and alcohol caused the crash, according to the State Patrol.
stacia.glenn@ thenewstribune.com
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