Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 51-year-old man in connection with a serious-injury crash on Highway 410 near Buckley.

Vernon Tracy Pitts was arraigned Monday on vehicular assault and driving with a suspended or revoked license. He was being held in the Pierce County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

The wreck occurred about 12:15 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Highway 410 and Mundy Loss Road. Charging documents provide the following information:

Troopers reported that Pitts was driving his motor home on Highway 410 when he ran a red light and struck the victim’s vehicle, which was headed north on Mundy Loss Road.

The driver of the second vehicle, a 64-year-old woman, was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup for treatment.

A rear-seat passenger, an 87-year-old man, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with life-threatening injuries.

Troopers said Pitts’ eyes were bloodshot and watery and his speech slurred after the wreck.

He told troopers he had consumed two to three beers and was taking several medications, according to court records. A strong odor of intoxicants came from his breath as he spoke, troopers reported.

Pitts refused voluntary field sobriety tests. Troopers learned his license had been suspended because of a previous refusal to take a breath test.

Stacey Mulick, The News Tribune