A Kiro 7 news report indicates that a 35-year-old Washington man who killed two teens blames the auto accident on sleep apnea.

The man who plowed his SUV into a crowd of students in Ferndale is on trial for vehicular homicide.

The crash killed 15-year-old Gabriel Anderson and 18-year-old Shane Ormiston. The two other 17-year-old boys, Kole Randall and Michael Brewster, were injured.

Klein’s attorney, Michael Brodsky, claims sleep apnea is to blame for Klein falling asleep as he drove in his Toyota 4-Runner with his 3-year-old son in the back seat. Brodsky said the condition kept Klein from getting restful sleep. The defense said the crash was an accident and Klein didn’t have disregard for the safety of others because he didn’t know he had sleep apnea.

Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney Dave McEachran says Klein admitted in a recorded interview with a detective that he usually only slept about four hours a night before going to his early-morning shift at Trader Joe’s.

Read the full story at www.kiro7.com