GREEN RIVER — In the second day of trial for a Haitian truck driver accused of slamming into two emergency medical technicians — killing one — just before Christmas 2022, the EMT who survived weathered intense questioning Friday in Sweetwater County District Court.
Sweetwater County Deputy Attorney TahNee Alton called former Carbon County EMT Tiffany Gruetzmacher to the witness stand just after 9 a.m. Friday morning in the trial of Saviol Saint Jean.
First, Some Background
Saint Jean faces one count of aggravated vehicular homicide, another of aggravated assault and a third of not merging away from emergency vehicles, and could face up to 30 years in prison plus fines if convicted.
Before 4 a.m. on Dec. 21, 2022, a red Ford F-150 hauling a trailer jackknifed across Interstate-80 in Sweetwater County near the Carbon County line.
A commercial truck driven by Osvaldo Herrera-Pupo hit the truck and trailer, sending the truck into the left-side median off the road and scattering trailer debris over the interstate, court documents say.
Herrera-Pupo’s truck came to rest in the right lane, leaving both lanes blocked: one with trailer debris, and one with Herrera-Pupo’s truck.
A double-trailer combo driven by Utah-based trucker Andrew Gibbs maneuvered around the crash onto the left side, where it got stuck.
Other cars passed on the right shoulder, according to court testimony.
Gruetzmacher drove an ambulance to the scene with her fellow EMT Tyeler Harris in the passenger seat.
She parked west of the trailer debris, mostly or entirely within the left lane, according to court testimony.
Then Saint Jean sped into the scene and into Gruetzmacher and Harris, killing Harris and leaving Gruetzmacher with back, skull, neck and hand fractures. The semi also hit the ambulance Gruetzmacher had parked west of the trailer debris, court documents allege.
On the opening day of Saint Jean’s trial Thursday, his attorney Joe Hampton emphasized evidence that the road was slick and the scene was chaotic.
Alton, conversely, emphasized how well other drivers performed as they diverted around the crash while the ambulance lights blazed.
Then Came Day Two
The second day of trial revolved around first responder protocols.
Saint Jean sat in a black suit, gazing aimlessly at the defense table with his head declined slightly as the jury entered. He listened to the proceedings via a translator who spoke into his headset.
Alton called Gruetzmacher, who walked to the witness stand.
She was an EMT with Memorial Hospital of Carbon County for about nine years, she said.
As soon as Alton said the words “Dec. 21, 2022,” Gruetzmacher started fighting back tears.
She was working the 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift with Harris. They started driving to the crash call at 4:08 and were on scene by 4:18 that morning, according to later testimony.
The two EMTs had a discussion about where they should park when they got to the scene, said Gruetzmacher.
Ambulance lights flashing, they decided to park beyond the crashed trailer and disabled semi west of the crash, she said.
That’s because they figured there were fewer chances of getting hit on that end of the crash, she said.
They circled around the wreckage to that spot via the right shoulder, because “we felt there was plenty of room” on that side, Gruetzmacher said under Alton’s questioning.
They parted ways and started checking on different patients.
Then they walked up the road back toward the ambulance: Gruetzmacher toward the driver’s side of it and Harris toward the passenger side, she said.
That’s the last thing she remembers from that night, added Gruetzmacher.
“And the next thing you remember?” asked Alton.
Gruetzmacher wept.
“Me waking up in ICU on the 23rd (of December) in Cheyenne,” she said.
Her brain, skull, neck and back were impacted in ways that have left her with debilitating, excruciating, daily headaches, Gruetzmacher’s Cheyenne neurosurgeon Dr. Steven Beers testified later Friday.
She also has neck and back pain daily, and loses vision when the headaches happen, Gruetzmacher said.
The Cross-Examination
Hampton has a quiet voice generally, but he softened even more as he approached Gruetzmacher, who was still tearful after Alton sat down.
“I want you to know it’s not my intention to bully or harass you,” Hampton said. “If you need a break or anything, let me know.”
Gruetzmacher did not ask for a break.
Hampton confronted Gruetzmacher with trainings she’d received prior to the crash in advanced warning-style sign postings and ambulance parking.
Multiple sidebar discussions between the attorneys and judge unfolded during Hampton’s cross-examination of Gruetzmacher.
In those instances, the courtroom blasts white noise while the attorneys and judge — all wearing headsets and facing microphones — communicate with each other under the blare so the jury can’t hear their debates about how to apply the law and which questions the judge should allow.
Ultimately, Hampton pointed to a training material Gruetzmacher recognized about “blocking the scene.”
“But Carbon County Memorial has a (different) policy?” asked Hampton.
“Correct,” answered Gruetzmacher, who had described her employer’s policy of parking ambulances beyond the wreck.
“Every service is different,” she continued, adding that, “Usually (other responders) show up before us.”
Hampton asked her point-blank if the red truck that jackknifed, driven by Augustin Sanchez Pavon, played a substantial factor in the ultimate crash.
Gruetzmacher paused.
“You filed a civil lawsuit against Mr. Sanchez as well, correct?” Hampton asked.
Alton objected to the question.
‘This Absolutely Floored Me'
A lengthy sidebar followed, during which the jury grew visibly restless.
Sweetwater District Court Judge Richard Lavery ended the sidebar and ordered a break, dismissing the jury at 10:20 a.m.
Sweetwater County Attorney Daniel Erramouspe was livid, he said after the jury left.
“To be honest, and I know the court is considering this, but this absolutely floored me,” said Erramouspe.
Hampton had invoked questions belonging to a “completely different arena, completely different standard” of civil court actions, said Erramouspe.
“It’s bad enough that Ms. Gruetzmacher had to go through all this questioning implying she’s at fault for something,” the prosecutor added.
At that point, Saint Jean’s translator had an issue and Lavery ordered everyone to stop the debate.
When the parties returned at 10:32, Saint Jean entered weeping and took his seat.
Erramouspe finished his thought, saying Hampton was “trying to merge the roles of civil and criminal law, when the civil complaints filed have about a million things put in there.”
The judge was verging on the dangerous precedent of making the Sweetwater County Attorney’s Office scour every civil action when filing criminal charges, Erramouspe added.
Ultimately, Lavery said Hampton wasn’t allowed to use the words “proximate cause,” but he could ask Gruetzmacher if she thought Sanchez was at fault.
Fault is a “big word” thematically, Erramouspe cautioned.
When Hampton finally asked the question, Gruetzmacher’s answer was, “I don’t know who was at fault.”
She later agreed with Hampton that the jackknifed trailer “contributed” to the harm that befell her.
More Questions
Alton delivered a set of follow-up questions in a steely tone of voice:
“You were taught to park in front of the crash?”
“Yes,” answered Gruetzmacher.
“How bright (were the lights on your ambulance)?” asked Alton.
“Pretty blinding.”
“Did the Ford run into the ambulance?” asked Alton.
Gruetzmacher said no.
“Did (Herrera-Pupo’s) semi?”
“No,” answered Gruetzmacher.
“All of the traffic going around the scene, did they run into the ambulance?” Alton asked.
“No,” answered Gruetzmacher.
“What about the semi driven by the defendant? Did it run into the ambulance?” asked the prosecutor.
“Yes,” answered Gruetzmacher.
Gruetzmacher had sued Sanchez in November 2023, along with Saint Jean, Herrera-Pupo and their two trucking companies.
Sanchez Pavon was dismissed from the case March 7 of this year when his attorney told the court “this matter has been settled” with respect to Sanchez Pavon.
Gruetzmacher’s original complaint in that lawsuit says the road was slick that morning, a point of contention in the criminal trial.
The Interview
While questioning Rawlins Police Department Sgt. Christopher Craig, Alton also played videos of Craig’s interview of Saint Jean from the morning after the crash.
Saint Jean insisted that he thought the ambulance lights were on his right, so he merged into the left-hand lane. Then he saw two people trying to get out of the way and hit the ambulance, despite trying to avoid the lights and “not touch” anything, according to those interview videos.
He later saw Gruetzmacher being pulled into the ambulance and tried to talk to her, he said.
Saint Jean gave those interviews with a strong accent, but Craig testified that there was not a language barrier, and he only had to rephrase a few of his questions.
Saint Jean told Craig that morning that he hadn’t been on his phone, and in fact his phone bill was unpaid and it lacked service. He said he hadn’t been playing the radio because his co-driver had been sleeping.
At some point, Hampton asked Lavery to make Alton call Saint Jean by his name instead of referring to him as the defendant, and Lavery did have Alton do that, the wording of her later questioning indicates.
The trial is ongoing through at least Wednesday of next week.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
