Motorist arrested for alleged vehicular assault and driving under the influence

Two people were injured and a man was arrested after the flatbed truck he was driving plowed into a vehicle in Rainier.

A Thurston County Sheriff's Office report states the collision occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 20 near Binghampton Street W and Golphnee Loop SE.

The report states a white 1998 Chevrolet flatbed truck driven by Robert C. Murray, 54, of Roy, hit the rear of a silver Audi TT traveling north. Witnesses said the truck struck the Audi twice, forcing it off the road and into a ditch. 

Deputies and medics arrived to find two men with serious injuries inside the Audi. Both men were taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia for treatment.

Deputies said Murray showed signs of intoxication at the scene. He admitted to drinking several beers before driving, the report states.

Field sobriety tests were conducted. A preliminary breath test indicated a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Law enforcement records later showed that Murray had a prior reckless driving conviction from 2016, which stemmed from a previous arrest for driving under the influence.  

Following the collision, deputies impounded both vehicles as evidence. Cleanup crews from the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Washington State Department of Transportation were called to remove an oil spill caused by the crash. 

Murray was taken to the Yelm Police Department for additional testing, and then later booked into Thurston County Corrections Facility. He faces charges of vehicular assault and driving under the influence.