2 hurt, 1 critically, after dump truck crashes into general store

Two people were injured, one critically, Wednesday after a dump truck crashed into the Alderton general store along state Route 162, according to East Pierce Fire & Rescue.

Firefighters were dispatched just before 11 a.m. to the store at 9602 state Route 162, Fire Chief Bud Backer said. First responders rescued the injured and had to shore up the building.

The truck driver, a 60-year-old Graham man, was flown by helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment, Backer said. The store clerk, a 66-year-old Puyallup woman, was taken to Tacoma General Hospital with head injuries.

The dump truck hit a utility box and a light pole before crashing into the store, Washington State Patrol spokeswoman Johnna Batiste said.

Troopers determined the Graham man was not paying attention and the truck left the road, according to the State Patrol. A decision on whether to forward the case to Pierce County prosecutors is pending.

The highway reopened about 4:45 p.m, Batiste said.

This story was originally published July 11, 2018 at 2:37 PM.