Driver charged in Lake Tapps crash that killed a father, injured boy
A driver who crashed into a truck near Lake Tapps last year, killing a father and injuring his 7-year-old son, sent a text message saying he felt “like the worst person in the world,” according to court documents.
On Thursday, Pierce County prosecutors charged Erwin Yoder, 34, with vehicular homicide for the April 28, 2019, death of 33-year-old Victor Manuel Munos Garcia.
Yoder is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 17.
Although he was briefly jailed after the collision, a charging decision wasn’t made until toxicology results came back.
Charging papers give this account:
Several people called 911 that night to report that a man and his son were trapped inside a Chevrolet Silverado.
Yoder himself called 911 and gave a description of the wreckage in the 4000 block of 218th Avenue East.
Deputies believe Yoder was traveling northbound when he crossed the center line and his Chevrolet Avalanche struck Garcia’s truck, pushing it onto the shoulder.
Bystanders comforted Garcia’s son while firefighters extracted him from the truck.
Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene.
His son was taken to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma.
Yoder told deputies he was returning from a Sounders game, where he allegedly drank two beers.
He said he looked down at his phone and when he glanced back at the road, his truck was crossing the center line.
Investigators said there was no sign of either vehicle braking.
Yoder sent a text message minutes after the crash, records say, reading: “Yea I crossed the line and hit and killed someone trying to grab my phone. I feel like the worst person in the world right now.”
His blood alcohol level was found to be .044, according to toxicology reports.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 8:57 AM.
