Inquiry into family deaths nears end

Washington State Patrol detectives believe they are close to completing the vehicular homicide investigation in the case of a Deer Park man who crashed his truck into oncoming traffic on Nov. 1, killing five children from the same family.

Assistant Spokane County Prosecutor Clint Francis said he has been talking to WSP detectives three or four times a week, and they are continuing to chase down leads. But he cannot give a firm date for when the probe will be completed.

“One lead leads to another,” Francis said. “We are hopeful we can get it wrapped up soon, review what they gather and make a decision based on that.”

Clifford Helm, 56, was driving a 1999 Ford F-250 pickup north on U.S. Highway 395 when he veered into the median and crossed into oncoming lanes of traffic, investigators said. They estimated that Helm had 15 to 18 seconds to react before smashing head-on into the southbound 1986 Ford pickup driven by Jeffrey Schrock.

The crash seriously injured Schrock and killed all five of his children: 12-year-old Carmen, 10-year-old Jana, 8-year-old Carinna, 5-year-old Jerryl and 2-year-old Craig.

Six weeks after the crash, Jeffrey Schrock’s wife, Carolyn Schrock, gave birth to a baby girl, Jolynn Marie Schrock.

Jeffrey Schrock underwent three surgeries to fix a broken jaw, knees and right arm. He remained at Sacred Heart Medical Center for two weeks until his condition stabilized. He returned home in December.

Helm also was seriously injured in the crash but has recovered. He hired attorney Carl Oreskovich, and Helm has refused to talk with investigators unless they provide him immunity from charges, Francis said.

“It was the kind of thing that aggravates you,” Francis said of Helm’s silence.

Oreskovich said he had no comment about the immunity request.

“Our position hasn’t changed one iota from the beginning,” Oreskovich said. “This is a tragic accident. It’s nothing more than that.”

Toxicology results on Helm’s blood showed nothing out of the ordinary, Francis said. Instead, investigators have had to base their investigation on witnesses and evidence from the scene.

The Shrock family has told Francis that they don’t want anything bad to happen to Helm.

“They will cooperate if they must,” Francis said. “Of course, we would require their cooperation.”

Normally, victim-family input weighs heavily on prosecution decisions, Francis said. “This is a case against the state of Washington. So it has no effect on whether we go forward on charges.”

Helm has not been cited in connection with the crash, and Francis said he believes Helm continues to maintain driving privileges.

The statute of limitations for issuing a traffic citation is one year and a day from the date of the crash. But that statute is much longer for vehicular homicide.

WSP Trooper Jeff Sevigney said he knows the detectives are getting close to completing their investigation.

“There is still no firm date yet,” Sevigney said. “But they are definitely getting close to wrapping it up.”