Man who caused fatal crash gets 16 years

TACOMA — A 31-year-old Roy man was sentenced Friday to 16 years in prison for causing a head-on crash that earlier this year killed one man and injured three others.

Matthew Haygood previously pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular homicide and three counts of vehicular assault in the March 7 collision that killed Todd Morose, 50, of Frederickson and left Morose’s wife and two daughters hurt.

Lab tests showed Haygood’s blood-alcohol content at 0.16, twice the legal limit, nearly four hours after the crash. There also was evidence he’d used marijuana before the crash, Pierce County Deputy Prosecutor Tim Jones wrote in charging papers.

“This is a particularly horrible example of why drunk driving is so dangerous,” Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said in a news release. “Mrs. Morose and her children will bear the tragic consequences of Mr. Haygood’s actions for the rest of their lives.”

The crash occurred about 6:40 p.m. on state Highway 507 at East Gate Road near Spanaway, south of Tacoma. Witnesses said the borrowed pickup Haygood was driving crossed the center line and hit the Morose family’s SUV.

Todd Morose died at the scene, and his wife and daughters were taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries including broken legs and head and abdominal trauma.

Haygood later was found wandering in nearby woods and calling for help, court records show. Authorities said he’d been in another collision about 10 minutes before the fatal crash.

He told investigators he’d drunk beer at a friend’s house before getting behind the wheel, court records show.

In a letter to the court, he apologized to the Morose family.

“At times I hate myself for causing so much pain,” Haygood wrote. “If I could have one wish, it would be that I could take back what’s happened.”