Captain Jason Berry
Government and Media Relations
(360) 596-4010 – office
(360) 596-4015 – fax
http://www.wsp.wa.gov
*** For Immediate Release***
Date:
March 4, 2011
Contact:
Trooper Guy Gill
Phone:
(253) 606-1998
E-mail:
guy.gill@wsp.wa.gov
Injury Collision on State Route 16 Involving a DOT Vehicle
Pierce County - On March 04, 2011, at 11:32 p.m., a Department of Transportation (DOT) vehicle was struck while parked on the shoulder by a suspected drunk driver. A 25 year-old University Place man was driving a 1993 Honda Accord east bound on SR 16 approaching I-5. The driver was at a high rate of speed and was not able to negotiate a right hand curve in the roadway.
The driver left the roadway and drove onto the inside shoulder and struck the rear of the DOT truck. The DOT truck was parked with a reader board up and activated to alert traffic of a road work project in the area. The 54 year-old man in the DOT truck was not injured.
The driver of the Honda was not wearing a seatbelt and sustained life threatening injuries. A 23 year-old male sitting in the front passenger seat sustained minor injuries.
Making the choice to drive impaired can change your life or the life of someone else in an instant. The Washington State Patrol works diligently to remove impaired drivers from the roadways of our state. Please don’t drink and drive and remember to always wear a seatbelt.
