Crash Involving Officer Claims Life of 3rd Man : Family Describes Policeman as Someone Who Would Never Mix Drinking, Driving

An automobile accident involving an off-duty San Diego policeman claimed a third life Saturday when a 40-year-old Pacific Beach man died of injuries suffered in the Imperial Valley crash.

Michael Walker was pronounced dead at 6:40 a.m. in the intensive-care unit of UC San Diego Medical Center, where he had been flown by Life Flight with severe head and chest injuries, according to acting supervisor Sally Shepherd. He was taken off life support Friday afternoon, family members said.

Walker was one of three passengers in a four-wheel-drive station wagon driven by 28-year-old Kevin Rausis, a seven-year San Diego police veteran assigned to the department’s traffic unit.

Rausis was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter after his 1988 Toyota 4-Runner overturned late Thursday eastbound Interstate 8 within the city limits of El Centro, according to the California Highway Patrol.

2 Others Killed in Crash

Also killed in the one-car crash were Rausis’ brother, Kenneth Richard Rausis, 38, of University City, and his brother-in-law, John Leonard Walker, 27, of East San Diego.

Ken Rausis was a painter for San Diego Transit Corp., where he had worked for 15 years. The younger Walker was an engineer at Rohr Industries, according to family members.

On Saturday, Kevin Rausis was back home in San Diego, awaiting results of blood-alcohol tests. No charges have been filed, authorities said.

“We probably won’t get any results until the end of the week,” said Sgt. John Ploetz, a CHP spokesman. “So right now, we’re all in limbo on this thing.”

If Rausis’ blood-alcohol level exceeds 0.10%--the limit allowed by law--felony charges of drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter will probably be recommended to the Imperial County district attorney, Ploetz said.

Linda Rausis, Ken Rausis’ wife, spoke with Kevin Rausis on Saturday morning.

“This was the first time the four had done anything together, so they were having a good time, talking about hunting,” she said.

“They were listening to a George Strait song on the tape player. Ken wanted to hear the song again but couldn’t work the player, so Kevin started messing with it. That’s when the accident happened.”

Kevin Rausis swerved to avoid a slower-moving car and his vehicle overturned, ejecting the Walker brothers, who were riding in a rear jump seat without seat belts, authorities said.

Officers on the scene detected an odor of alcohol and an empty beer bottle. An ice chest filled with beer that had reportedly been stored inside the pickup was also found scattered across the highway, according to the CHP.

On Saturday, family members described Kevin Rausis as a cautious professional who would never mix drinking and driving.

“I’ve known Kevin a long time, and I’ve never seen him drink more than one beer at a time,” said Bernice Gagel, Linda’s mother. “He was just too cautious, too concerned with his career. But they’re all condemning him just because a beer cooler was found inside the truck.”

She said the Rausis brothers were particularly close and the group had been anticipating the hunting trip for some time. “You had four men who were looking forward to this hunting trip. The hunting was really just an excuse. They wanted to get together, let their hair down.”

Gagel said the group was within half a mile of where they planned to spend the night when the accident occurred.

“They were going to stop in El Centro to sleep, that’s how cautious they were. Neither one of those brothers would have allowed an open beer in that truck. They would have waited until they got where they were staying for the night before drinking.”

Linda Rausis said that although her late husband was 10 years older than his brother, the two worked hard to stay close. “Ken always played the big brother role and Kevin looked up to him a lot.”

Fishing Fanatic

Ken Rausis, a fishing fanatic, recently bought his younger brother a tackle box in the hopes of interesting him in the sport, she said.

Kevin Rausis, who was married in May, on Saturday morning returned his older brother’s pickup truck to his sister-in-law, Linda. Ken Rausis had left his vehicle at his younger brother’s home near San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium when they started on the trip.

“He said he just wanted to be alone,” said Gagel, Linda’s mother. “He’s devastated. His eyes show just how much pain he’s going through. He knows he has to live with this all his life.”

Rausis spoke with family members, including Linda. Ken and Linda Rausis have a son, Zachary, who celebrated his 15-month birthday the day his father died.

“It was hard for Kevin to face everybody,” Gagel said. “He gave me a hug and said, ‘I’m sorry. I’m just so sorry.’ It was all he could say.”