Bus Driver in Fatal Enumclaw Crash Won’t Be Charged With a Felony

By Jennifer Sullivan, Seattle Times

Nov. 20–A former King County Metro bus driver who was involved in a head-on collision in April that killed a man in Enumclaw will not face felony charges.

Sandie Olosky, 35, was fired from Metro last month after the transit company determined that the crash, which killed 21-year-old Michael Dahlquist, could have been prevented.

The State Patrol requested that a misdemeanor negligent driving charge be filed against Olosky. King County prosecutors have decided that the case did not warrant a more serious felony charge.

“There is not enough evidence to support a felony charge of vehicular homicide,” said prosecutors’ spokesman Dan Donohoe. “It will be sent over to district court for a possible filing of negligent driving, second-degree.”

On April 17, Olosky was driving a Metro bus on Highway 164 when she swerved into oncoming lanes to avoid hitting a vehicle that had slowed. The bus hit the bumper of that vehicle before colliding with a pickup driven by Dahlquist, who died at the scene.

The State Patrol determined Olosky had realized too late that the vehicle in front of her was slowing down.

Olosky had previously been fired by Metro in 2005 for stopping her bus on the West Seattle Bridge for what investigators didn’t think to be solid reasons. But she was rehired last year after arbitration.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com

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