Former Seattle Mariners infielder Dave Edler was badly injured and his wife, Susan, was killed in an accident involving a suspected drunk driver on Sunday, November 8.
Dave, 70, told police that the driver of a Dodge Ram pickup truck came into the lane of the Edlers’ Ford Bronco Sport in Yakima, Washington, around 4:30 p.m., according to an affidavit obtained by the Yakima Herald-Republic.
The Dodge went up on the hood of the Ford, hitting the windshield and collapsing the front window, with most of the damage concentrated on the passenger’s side of the vehicle, where Susan was sitting.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found both vehicles in a ditch. Dave and Susan were trapped in their vehicle, and firefighters were needed to remove them.
The Edlers were both taken to nearby MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital, where Susan was pronounced dead at 67. Dave suffered two broken arms and facial injuries, and remained in critical condition as of Monday, November 9, according to the Herald-Republic.
Trevor Allen Stockton, the driver of the Dodge, was charged with suspicion of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault while under the influence of intoxicants on Sunday.
An officer on the scene of the crash noted he could smell alcohol on Stockton, 26, noting he had red, watery eyes and slurred speech. He refused to perform any field sobriety tests.
Stockton’s cousin told police she observed him drinking alcohol at breakfast on the morning of the crash.
Security video obtained by authorities later showed Stockton and his girlfriend arriving at West Valley Bar in Yakima at 12:45 p.m. Stockton’s girlfriend was picked up by somebody else before he left at 4:24 p.m., roughly six minutes before the incident.
Stockton’s bar tab showed he bought a total of nine drinks for himself and his girlfriend.
During a preliminary hearing on Monday, Stockton’s behavior at the scene of the crash was called into question.
“Upon hearing he had killed the passenger, his response was ‘OK,’ seemingly not to care about the death-dealing impact he caused, which the officer believed to be the cause of Mr. Stockton’s mocking smile,” said Deputy Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney Jaye Sleeman.
A public defender assigned to Stockton “objected to Sleeman’s characterization of Stockton and the references to the allegations of his alcohol use,” per the Herald-Republic.
At the hearing, a judge set Stockton’s bail at $75,000.
Dave played for the Mariners from 1980 to 1983. In addition to his baseball career, he served as Yakima’s mayor from 2006 to 2010. He and Susan, who was known as Susie, shared three children.
