Driver rear-ended by deputy, then cited

Although the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office has not finished its investigation into why a deputy rear-ended a minivan, the driver he hit has been cited for driving without insurance.

Rafael T. Villanueva, 50, was rear-ended in his 1999 Pontiac Montana on Monday when he stopped to let a pedestrian cross Cannon Street at Sunset Boulevard about 8:06 p.m., said Sgt. Dave Reagan. He was cited by a traffic investigator who responded to the crash after learning of a deputy’s involvement.

Deputy Gavin Pratt was driving his marked 2006 Ford Interceptor when he failed to stop and hit the minivan from behind, Reagan said. Pratt broke his left hand in the crash that caused his airbag to deploy.

Villanueva was not hurt, Reagan said.

The pedestrian was not injured, and left before crash investigators arrived.

The investigation into the crash and a separate sheriff’s office administrative review continue, Reagan said. What the deputy was doing at the time of the crash was unknown.

“We practice so we don’t have these crashes,” Reagan said. “We do training at least once a year.”

The training is referred to as Emergency Vehicle Accident Prevention training, said Deputy Mark Gregory, one of the instructors. “We look at what types of problems we’re having (in the field) and adapt the training to that,” Gregory said.

Officials could not recall the last time a deputy rear-ended a vehicle.