A board member of the Santa Maria Public Airport District has been charged with negligent homicide in connection with a fatal traffic accident in which he was operating a heavy-duty forklift.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint in Superior Court accusing 81-year-old David Ernest Baskett of Orcutt of “unlawfully and without malicious intent” killing a woman in the May 2 incident.
Tiffany Ann Peterson, 39, of Orcutt was killed in the accident on the afternoon of May 2.
She was a passenger in a pickup truck her father was driving on Skyway Drive when it struck the tines of a rented telehandler driven by Baskett, which had stopped on Hangar Street.
Baskett is an elected member of the airport board and the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board.
The criminal complaint said the death occurred while Baskett was “operating a vehicle and committing an unlawful act not constituting a crime but occurring without gross negligence; and when driving a vehicle while performing a lawful act which could have resulted in death, in an unlawful manner but without gross negligence.”
Baskett was ordered to appear in court in Santa Maria for an arraignment on September 4. The district attorney’s office sent Baskett a letter dated August 8 informing him of the arraignment and the hearing and warning him that a warrant will be issued for his arrest if he fails to appear.
On Friday, Baskett said he was unaware of the charges, telling Noozhawk, “I had already been cleared some time ago by the various authorities, was stopped and was waiting for traffic to clear with a following security vehicle when I was hit.”
“I did not receive a ticket or any other summons, and the DMV investigation let me off with a clean slate,” he added.
While the police investigate cases and make arrests, the public prosecutor’s office is responsible for filing criminal charges and sometimes conducting further investigations.
At the end of June, Baskett claimed he had been cleared of any responsibility related to the crash.
In a civil lawsuit he filed against the airport district, its attorney Joshua George and the Special District Risk Management Authority, Baskett, who represented himself, said he drove the equipment back to Quinn Rentals on Betteravia Road.
“The Santa Maria Police Department and the California Department of Motor Vehicles conducted a thorough investigation and found no violations,” he wrote in the legal document.
The lawsuit also revealed that the fatal accident was the second involving the heavy-duty vehicle; the first occurred in the fenced area where Baskett was using the forklift to move items in a hangar.
In an email attached to the complaint, Baskett refers to “the unfortunate strike on the fender of the parked Prius.” He said the forklift’s right rear tire struck the car while reversing. He took responsibility and claimed “all issues have been resolved with the owner.”
“The Santa Maria Police Department did not even want to take a report, but did so out of courtesy. Please indicate what airport property was damaged or compromised?” he wrote.
Baskett’s lawsuit is based on the fact that after the crash he was denied access to the flight operations area, i.e. the part of the airport surrounded by a chain-link fence.
Accident investigation
The type of vehicle involved in the accident was often delivered to the construction site on the loading bed of a flatbed truck.
While the laws regarding driving forklifts on public roads remain unclear, California Highway Patrol officials said telehandler regulations allow their “occasional” use on roads.
Drivers must continue to obey traffic laws and operate vehicles safely, the CHP said.
Apparently, Baskett drove the car to a car rental lot. The closest parking lot was on West Betteravia Road, about two miles from the accident scene.
He said he was “vetted” by the car rental company and given the keys, adding that no formal training certificates were required.
Baskett also said a security vehicle followed him, but did not mention any measures taken to improve the visibility of the forklift tines.
After the collision and while police officers were conducting their investigation, the forklift was parked next to the stop sign with its “forks” raised in the air.
The damage to the blue Dodge truck is concentrated in the cab and windshield area.
After the crash, airport officials said, “It appears that no county equipment was involved, nor was board member David Baskett serving in any county capacity.”
The school district also stated that it was not acting in its capacity as a board member of SMJUHSD at the time of the accident.
“At this time, SMJUHSD Trustee David Baskett has not notified the district of any change in his status as a board member,” said Kenny Klein, SMJUHSD spokesman.
In June, the airport district learned that its insurance agency would drop Baskett’s personal injury and liability insurance.
He blamed the public district for the fatal accident.
“It was the airport that triggered the problems that led to the tragedy,” Baskett wrote.
Baskett was involved in a lengthy dispute with the airport and his fellow board members that resulted in the four remaining board members calling for his resignation.
Baskett has filed for another four-year term on the airport board, but could face a challenger in the November election. Tony Guy, who retired after a long career with companies that made aircraft interiors, has filed his application for the seat.
