FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Body camera footage is giving investigators a second look at a 2023 crash involving a Delray Beach off-duty firefighter.
The probe is part of an ongoing investigation into the December crash involving a Delray Beach fire truck and a Brightline train.
Footage captures responding officers arriving at the scene of a crash in June 2023 where David Wyatt, a Delray Beach Fire Rescue driver engineer, had just crashed into a tree.
“Hey, buddy, you all right?” said an officer.
According to police, Wyatt was off-duty when he lost control of his car near the corner of West Atlantic and North Swinton avenues and crashed his jeep into a median, knocking over several signs and colliding with a tree.
“What’s your name, bud?” said the officer.
“Wyatt,” the off-duty firefighter responded.
“Is this your car, Wyatt?” said the officer.
The audio of the body camera gets muffled, but Wyatt told officers he was alone in the car.
“So what happened here?” asked another officer minutes later.
“My brakes,” said Wyatt.
“OK, so you were going west over here? OK. So you were going there, you slammed on brakes and just lost control or something?” said the second officer.
“Yes, sir, the brake, up on the curb, kind of messed me up a little bit quick, that’s it,” said Wyatt.
Moments later, a friend who was following Wyatt also explained to officers what he saw.
“All of a sudden I saw him swerve at the last second, and I just stopped right behind him to make sure everything was OK,” said the friend.
But when officers asked the friend whether Wyatt was behind the wheel, assuming he was driving alone, the friend said, “I can’t confirm or deny that.”
That answer stunned the officer, who responded, “OK, first time I’ve ever had that answer.”
According to investigators, police officers said Wyatt’s eyes were red, and he suffered a cut on his head, but his speech was not slurred.
Investigators added that due to his medical condition and unavailability of a roadside sobriety test, they didn’t have the evidence needed to potentially charge him with driving under the influence.
Ultimately, Wyatt was cited for careless driving.
This June 2023 crash happened about 18 months before Wyatt was behind the wheel of the fire truck when it collided with the Brightline train, injuring 15 people.
Since the crash, Delray Beach commissioners have been probing the status of firefighters’ driver’s licenses and driver records.
As part of this investigation, they are examining the off-duty crash to make sure all the procedures in that crash were handled properly.
In a statement, Delray Beach Police Chief Russ Mager said:
“We are reviewing this case thoroughly to ensure protocols were followed and no procedural errors occurred in determining the appropriate legal course of action.”
At some point after the June 2023 crash, Wyatt did get his license suspended, but he did get it back.
It is known that at the time of the Brightline crash, all firefighters on the truck had valid driver’s licenses.
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