GORST, Wash. — Pictures from the Washington State Patrol show the violence of a crash that took the life of a 71-year-old Belfair man.
Delyle Machacek, who went by Mac, died at the scene.
State Patrol troopers said 30-year-old Andrew Tobler rear-ended Machacek as he pulled into traffic on State Route 16 in Gorst shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday, forcing Machacek's car into oncoming traffic.
That caused a head-on collision before Machacek slammed into another car.
“He was a good man. He didn’t deserve this. Nobody deserves this,” Machacek’s son Richard told KIRO 7 in a telephone interview from his home in Texas.
Machacek described his father a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam and a loving grandfather.
Tobler, who is from Fircrest, faces a charge of vehicular homicide.
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Troopers who spoke to Tobler said he had an obvious odor of alcohol, and that he confessed to drinking and driving.
“It was quite obvious to them that he was under the influence,” said Trooper Russ Winger. “He had apparently been drinking last night and into the morning and admitted to that.”
Richard Machachek says he wants to see Tobler face justice.
“I’m looking for answers. If the person was negligent in any way, hold them accountable.”
Machacek had just left a convenience store in Gorst where he stopped for coffee every morning.
Store clerk Gypsy Shell says he was always kind to the people working behind the counter.
“He was a really sweet guy and we’re going to miss him. He was one of the better customers and he didn’t deserve it.”
Two other drivers were also injured in the crash.
They were not seriously hurt, according to the WSP.
Tobler was booked into the Kitsap County Jail and is expected to appear in court in Port Orchard on Friday.
KIRO
