Seattle driver will not face criminal charges in fatal crash

SEATTLE — The Sound Transit bus driver who caused a collision that killed two people in Kirkland, Wash. in May 2013 won’t face criminal charges, the Seattle Times reported.

Prosecutors said there is insufficient evidence to file vehicular-homicide charges against Aleksandr Rukhlin, who drove a Sound Transit bus through a red light and collided with a Ford Escape, killing two people and injuring their son.

The Prosecutor’s Office said Rukhlin’s driving was “certainly negligent,” but the state could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he “consciously disregarded a dangerous situation.” A review suggested he accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake, but the reasons for his driving through a red light remain uncertain and there is no evidence he deliberately attempted to run the light. For the full story, click here.