DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — We’re learning more about why Delray Beach Fire Rescue driving engineer David Wyatt, the driver of a fire truck that was hit by a Brightline train in late December, had his license suspended.
Police say Wyatt was behind the wheel when he drove onto a median and hit a tree in Delray Beach in June 2023. Eventually, his license was suspended following this incident.
BODY-CAM FOOTAGE OF JUNE 2023 CRASH
According to the police report, the responding officer was there to conduct a DUI investigation, but a field sobriety test wasn't conducted on scene because Wyatt was taken to the hospital.
Police questioned a witness, a friend of Wyatt's who was driving behind him when the vehicle crashed that night. However, the officer never asks where they were going or where they were coming from.
Later, the responding officer says that the reason why they didn’t test for drugs or alcohol is because he “Could not develop probable cause that Wyatt was driving while under the influence.”
According to that report, an officer conducted a DUI investigation at the hospital. That officer says Wyatt exhibited red eyes and a head laceration, but displayed no slurred speech.
Previous coverage: Brightline crash investigation focuses on driver's history
Wyatt wound up getting a ticket for careless driving. A judge required him to take a traffic safety course. He failed to complete it in time, leading to his license being suspended for about two months.
He had the license back for about a year before the Dec. 28 Brightline crash, which injured 15 people. For transparency and public interest in this case, Delray Beach City Manager Terrance Moore released this statement as to why they released the footage:
Given the significant public interest in this matter, I believe releasing the body-worn camera footage from the 2023 citation is the right step toward providing a full and accurate account of the events.
Delray Beach police is now conducting an internal review over Wyatt’s 2023 crash.
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