Belfair man may be charged with vehicular homicide in SR-3 crash

The Washington State Patrol is recommending a 21-year-old Belfair man who caused a five-car collision on State Route 3 last week, which killed one man, be charged with vehicular homicide.

WSP Spokeswoman Trooper Krista Hedstrom said the investigation into the Oct. 9 crash is still ongoing and upon its completion, WSP will be forwarding the case on to the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office for possible charges.

Cole R. Satran was arrested following the collision and appeared in Kitsap County Superior Court on one count of possessing an explosive device.

According to the probable cause statement filed by WSP, the collision occurred at 6:52 a.m. Oct. 9 when Satran, driving a 1993 Nissan pickup truck northbound on SR-3 near the Bremerton National Airport, crossed the centerline in front of a semi-truck headed southbound.

When first contacted by a trooper, Satran reportedly said he “looked down,” then could not remember what happened after that. The semi-truck swerved to avoid hitting the pickup, striking and crushing a GMC Yukon. That driver, 42-year-old Thomas Gamblin of Belfair, died at the scene.

The fifth car, a 1994 Toyota pickup, struck the semi. While the vehicle was totaled, the driver was uninjured. The occupants of the semi — a driver and two passengers — sustained only minor injuries.

Satran was transported to Harrison Hospital in Bremerton for a possible broken leg, but was released that afternoon and subsequently arrested.

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