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March 18, 2005Collision is being reviewedByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Matthew Garrisi said he never heard emergency sirens moments before a Grand Traverse County fire truck smashed into his sport utility vehicle, a collision that claimed his wife and son. "I didn't hear anything," he said of the March 8 crash in Garfield Township. "I had a clear path and was going through the green light. All of a sudden, the truck was there." Now, an investigation by the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's office into the collision that killed Rebecca Garrisi, 28, and the couple's 11-month-old son, Jesse, is under review by the prosecutor's office. The crash occurred when a metro fire truck driven by part-time firefighter Cory Carlton, 26, went through a red light at the Zimmerman and Silver Lake roads intersection during a fire call. Fire officials suspended Carlton pending internal and criminal investigations. Prosecutor Alan Schneider said it may take a week to review the accident report, which investigators were expected to deliver Thursday. "It was a traffic death, so we are going to look at it," he said. "We always look at traffic deaths. ... I haven't seen (the report), so I am not going to say something to make people think there will or won't be charges." According to the Michigan vehicle code of 1949, emergency vehicles may proceed past a red signal or stop sign "only after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation." Sheriff's investigators said Carlton did not appear to slow at the intersection to check for oncoming traffic. Schneider said the case could be handed over to the state attorney general's office to avoid a conflict of interest because of the potential for lawsuits against the county. "Obviously, there could be issues of liability involving the county," he said. "If a decision has to be made about criminal charges, it may be best to have that decision made by someone not connected to the county." Matthew Garissi said he is still trying to come to grips with the crash and hasn't decided whether to file suit against the county. "I am just dealing with it, just trying to hang in there," he said. "I don't know what I am going to do as far as anything yet." See Related Stories: Fire truck inquiry to wrap up next week - March 12, 2005 Family shattered by crash - March 10, 2005 Woman dies as result of car, fire truck crash - March 9, 2005
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