By Noah Feit
The State (Columbia, S.C.)
GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. — The Simpsonville man involved in a traffic collision that resulted in the death of a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper has been charged with a crime by the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office Monday.
Tuan Quoc Trinh, 33, has been charged with Failure to Maintain Lane, according to multiple reports that said he fell asleep before the collision.
Trooper Daniel Keith Rebman, Jr. died after his patrol vehicle was struck while he was on duty early in the morning on Oct. 24. Rebman, who lived in Taylors, died of blunt force trauma, Greenville County Coroner Parks Evans said.
Rebman, 31, was stationary in his patrol vehicle in the emergency lane of I-385 near Bridges Road when his Ford Taurus Patrol car was struck from behind by Trinh’s pick-up truck around 12:23 a.m., according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Deputies say Trinh’s 2003 Dodge Ram pickup truck was traveling at 66 mph in a 65 mph zone when drifted out of the lane of traffic and hit the back of Rebman’s vehicle, according to wyff4.com.
An investigation indicated that Trinh fell asleep right before the collision, according to wspa.com.
Deputies administered field sobriety tests on Trihn and didn’t find any evidence of impairment, according to wyff4.com.
Funeral services for Rebman were held on Oct.29 and he was laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery. Rebman is survived by his wife, Michelle, and three young daughters – Olivia, Charlee, and Kennedy.
Members from more than 15 state patrols from as far away as California came to pay their respects along with hundreds of state and local officers.
©2017 The State (Columbia, S.C.)