Auto Accident Attorney
At around two in the morning on Sunday, June the 2nd of 2024, a 23-year-old Tacoma woman was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of State Route 512 in Pierce County. She also had a 19-month-old baby girl in the vehicle with her. Her vehicle, a Ford Edge SUV, crashed into another car east of Canyon Road head-on that had three passengers. The other vehicle was a Chrysler 300 going west. The SUV went into a ditch, and the Chrysler rolled over. A trooper from the Washington State Patrol was dispatched to the scene at 2:04 am.
The forces involved in head-on crashes mean that serious injuries and death are more likely to happen than in other types of accidents. In this case, two of the men that were in the Chrysler were killed. Wendell T. Cerio from Arizona, aged 22, was found lying on the right side of the road. He was bleeding profusely and unresponsive, and although emergency medics attempted life-saving measures, they were unsuccessful. He was declared dead at the scene. Apparently he had been sleeping in the backseat of the car. Charles T. Fairbairn from Georgia, age 29, was the driver of the vehicle, and was partially ejected in the accident. He was also unresponsive and declared dead at the accident scene.
A third passenger of the vehicle, 22-year-old James Belanger, was injured and was taken to the Puyallup Good Samaritan Hospital. He has since been released from the hospital. He is a 22-year-old man that was also sleeping in the backseat of the Chrysler, and he was very distraught when emergency responders arrived. At the time of the accident, Fairbairn was driving him and Cerio back to Joint Base Lewis-McChord. All three of them were soldiers stationed there.
Both the at-fault woman and her baby were injured. The 23-year-old woman, Candy Soita from Tacoma, was fading in and out of consciousness when emergency responders arrived at the scene. She was taken to Tacoma General Hospital, and her baby was taken to Mary Bridge’s Children’s Hospital. Both of them are expected to survive and recover. The daughter is now in protective custody. In the hospital, Soita smelled of alcohol, and her eyes were watery and bloodshot. She had been driving home at the time of the accident.
Whenever a wrong-way accident happens, it’s likely that driving under the influence is to blame for what happened. When asked how much alcohol she had drank that night, Soita counted to four out loud while also using her fingers. About four hours after the accident, the preliminary breath test sample that she voluntarily provided was at 0.097, which is above the Washington legal limit of .08.
Wrongful Death Attorney
After being released from the hospital, Candy Soita was arrested for two counts of DUI vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault. She was booked into Pierce County Jail. A not-guilty plea was entered on behalf of Soita during an arraignment on the 5th. The arraignment happened at the Pierce County Superior Court, and the Court Commissioner (Barbara McInvaille) set Soita’s bail at $500,000.
The westbound lanes of State Route 512 were closed so that emergency crews could help the people involved and clear the road of the vehicles and debris. Troopers also took the time to gather evidence and investigate the scene. Drivers were encouraged to take alternate routes. The lanes were closed for around seven and a half hours, and were reopened at about ten in the morning.
In the wake of this tragedy, the families of the deceased are honoring their legacies. Both men were soldiers in the 7th Infantry Division. Cerio was a combat medic, while Fairbairn held an infantryman position. A JBLM spokesman, Matt Pargett, wrote a statement from the military base officials. He said that they are saddened to learn of the soldiers’ deaths, and that their thoughts are with the soldiers’ loved ones.
U.S. Army Specialist Charles Fairbairn, whose nickname was Tommy, always wanted to serve his country since he was a child. He enlisted in the army at age 25. He was able to fulfill his dreams of being in the military, according to his father, Wayne Fairbairn. Charles knew the risks of joining the military, and also knew the danger that impaired drivers pose. The night of the crash he had gone out with his friends, and took the responsibility of being the designated driver. His father hopes that his son can serve as a lesson about how dangerous drunk driving is.
Charles Fairbairn grew up in Columbus, Georgia. Before coming to Washington, he spent some time in Michigan. According to his father, he loved to fish and hunt. If there was a body of water, chances were that he could find a fish in it. His father is proud of the person that he became, and everything that he did in his life. He says that Charles did everything he asked of him. It’s devastating that two young lives were cut short so suddenly. Even though they were doing their best to stay safe on the roads, another driver’s actions cost them their lives.
There have been a lot of wrong-way crashes in Washington news lately. Most of them involve drunk drivers. Many of these accidents unfortunately also result in serious injuries and death. Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is one of the most reckless and irresponsible things that a person can do. It puts everyone else on the road in danger. At Sears Injury Law, we strongly condemn driving under the influence and do our best to get justice for victims of DUI accidents.
If you or a loved one was injured in a wrong way crash or a drunk driving incident caused by another party, we can help you pursue a claim. We also handle wrongful death accident cases at our firm. Reach out to us as soon as you can so that our personal injury lawyers can get started. Sears Injury Law specializes in only personal injury law so that we can best help people.
