Accident sends man to hospital

By DAVID TELLER

Staff Reporter

Traffic on SR-904 was down to one lane for 20 to 30 minutes on Aug. 21 as units from fire District No. 3, the Washington State Patrol, Spokane County Sheriff's Office and the Cheney Police Department responded to what was originally reported as a one-vehicle rollover, with the victim not breathing.

A Reardan, Wash., man was transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center with minor injuries when he lost control of his truck, briefly sending it airborne twice before it came to rest of the shoulder of the road.

When he arrived at the scene, Washington State Trooper Barry Markus said the truck was neither overturned nor was the victim not breathing at any time. Markus said he observed the driver, Tom Rettkowski, as both being conscious, alert, and answering the trooper's questions in detail.

Markus said Rettkowski told him that he veered off the road when he became momentarily distracted as he drove eastbound on SR-904 near Graham Road.

The 1987 one-ton flatbed Ford then went airborne, scattering Rettkowski's tools all over the ground when it ran into the side of a driveway along SR-904. The truck immediately hit another driveway berm, going airborne again, but to a lesser degree.

From where Rettkowski left the road to where his truck came to a rest was over 300 feet.

Rettkowski was reluctant to “swerve” back into the road out of concern of flipping the vehicle onto its top, so he stayed straight and tried to gradually maneuver the truck back onto the road.

Markus said neither alcohol nor excessive speed were a factor in the accident. The front of Rettkowski's vehicle was slightly damaged, but estimates were speculative.

David Teller can be reached at [email protected]