SALT LAKE CITY — A hospital patient who a Utah nurse said she was protecting when she refused to allow police to draw his blood has died.
William Gray, a commercial truck driver and reserve police officer, died late Monday night of the injuries he suffered when a fiery July 26 crash left him with burns over nearly half his body, University of Utah Health spokesman Suzanne Winchester said.
Gray was unconscious at the Salt Lake City hospital when police detective Jeff Payne asked to draw his blood hours after the crash. Nurse Alex Wubbels refused because hospital policy required a warrant or patient consent. Payne handcuffed her and dragged her outside.
Gray was hauling a load of sand in northern Utah when a pickup speeding away from police crossed the centerline and hit his truck head-on, causing an explosion. State police had been trying to pull over the pickup driver after several people called 911 to report he was driving recklessly.
Though Gray was not suspected of wrongdoing, the pickup driver, Marcos Torres, 26, died in the crash, and Utah police routinely collect evidence from everyone involved in fatal crashes.
Video of Wubbels’ arrest caught widespread attention online amid national scrutiny of police use of force. Payne and the supervisor who backed him, Lt. James Tracy, were placed on leave amid internal and criminal investigations.