She was accused of driving the wrong way on Highway , leaving her severely injured and a Pasco man dead. After a long recovery and court battle, vehicular homicide charges have been dropped against Katie Torguson.
Benton County prosecutors acknowledged in court filings that a new crash analysis showed that it was possible she was not driving the wrong way and was not at fault. Washington State Patrol investigators initially said Torguson was driving the wrong direction on Highway near Richland on Oct. Torguson, now 35, lost a leg as a result of her injuries. Her attorney, Scott Johnson of Johnson and Orr, described the case as a miscarriage of justice and said they are pursuing every legal option.
Prosecutors can file false charges. Torguson is still charged with DUI. WSP also noted how the vehicles came to rest after the collision. That investigation by Accredited Collision Examination Specialists of Edmonds found Torguson was not the wrong-way driver and did not cause the wreck, according to a news release from the law firm.
Witness accounts also were conflicting. One witness said they saw either a white or silver vehicle driving the wrong way, while another said they saw a gray car suddenly swerve and hit the white SUV. That witness later changed their statement because they did not recall the vehicles spinning, and said that the SUV must have been going the wrong way, according to court documents. The analysis by ACES suggests that based on evidence from the crash, it was actually Tapani who was driving in the wrong direction.
Johnson said that Torguson suffered not only devastating physical injuries, but years of debilitating mental anguish. Torguson to maintain her innocence, the tenacity of Johnson and Orr to make sure a proper investigation was conducted, and the expertise of the ACES, an innocent woman could have easily been thrown in prison for a crime she did not commit and left with the blame for Mr.
