Klamath Falls woman arrested in crash that killed flagger
A Klamath Falls woman has been charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving, accused of speeding while on her cellphone before hitting and killing a highway flagger last month.
Oregon State Police said Zahra Gonzales, 38, was at the wheel of a gold Mazda Protege that struck and killed Daniel Wessel, 45, of Klamath Falls, a flagger for Rocky Mountain Construction, in a work zone on Highway 140 East near milepost 8. The westbound car ended up in a ditch along the road after striking the flagger.
Klamath County District Attorney Eve Costello said Thursday she’s charged Gonzales with first- and second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, reckless driving and reckless endangering.
“The investigation confirmed high speed and constant cellphone usage by Ms. Gonzales while approaching this well-marked construction area,” Costello said in a statement.
Klamath County Jail records showed Gonzales was being held without bail Thursday on a probation violation charge.
In a court filing, OSP Trooper Justin Henrick said Gonzales talked about how she’d pulled over to send a text message, then got a call and sent a voice-to-text to a friend, using a Bluetooth speaker. She said the sun was very bright in her eyes just before the crash.
The phone records showed text messages and a phone call received that Henrick said was just before or at the time of the crash. He said Gonzales told her she never saw or felt she’d hit anyone before landing in the ditch. She said she’d used small amounts of wine and marijuana a few hours earlier and methamphetamine a couple of days earlier.
In her statement Thursday, Costello said:
“We all share the roads in Klamath County. We share it with other motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and highway workers doing their best to improve our roads. As Klamath County district attorney, I caution all drivers, in this busy summer season, and at all times of the year, to not engage in any behavior that distracts from driving safely.”
“The law clearly states no one is ever allowed to text and drive. Department of Transportation studies show during the average time of a text message, a car traveling 55 miles per hour covers more than the length of a football field.”
“While cellular phones are a wonderful convenience, they simply have no place being used while driving a car. So, while those of us responsible for enforcing public safety implore you not to use cell phones while driving, we will also zealously prosecute offenders who violate these laws, putting all of our friends and families at risk,” Costello said.
