Tacoma, Wash., man charged in 2022 fatal crash in southern Utah

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MONTICELLO — A Washington state man who investigators say caused a fatal crash in San Juan County in 2022 is now facing criminal charges.

Daniel Graska, 40, of Tacoma, was charged Friday in 7th District Court with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony; negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury, a third-degree felony; and DUI, a class B misdemeanor.

On Nov. 21, 2022, Graska was traveling north on state Route 191 and was behind another vehicle with two people. An investigation by the Utah Highway Patrol showed Graska was traveling at 96 mph when he ran into the back of the vehicle ahead of him, according to charging documents.

"As a result of the crash, the driver of the forward vehicle died, and the passenger sustained serious and permanent injuries," the charges state.

William Martin, 67, was killed, and a 75-year-old woman was injured, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.

A toxicology test showed Graska "had meth in his system and was impaired" at the time of the crash, according to the charges.

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Pat Reavy

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Pat Reavy interned with KSL NewsRadio in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL NewsRadio, Deseret News or KSL.com since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.