2 hospitalized after rollover wreck in Graham, officials say

Two people were hospitalized, one in serious condition, after a late-morning rollover crash Monday in East Pierce County, according to Graham Fire & Rescue.

Firefighters were dispatched to the one-SUV wreck at Meridian East (state Route 161) and 274th Street East just before noon, said Steve Richards, an assistant chief with Graham Fire.

The southbound SUV left the road and rolled over multiple times, Richards said. The man driving the Chevrolet was able to get out on his own, though his female passenger had to be extricated from the wreckage.

The 38-year-old Graham woman was flown by helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment, according to the Washington State Patrol. The 23-year-old Graham man driving the SUV was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup before being booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of vehicular assault.

Tina Peterson of Marysville witnessed the crash as her family was driving back home from a weekend at Alder Lake and called 911.

“We watched it fishtail a couple times like it couldn’t handle a corner, and he was overcorrecting,” she said. “After it fishtailed about three times, it flipped the Tahoe four times.”

Her husband was towing a boat with their motor home, which nearly was hit by the SUV as it completed its second roll, Peterson said.

Meridian remained blocked until nearly 4 p.m., according to the Washington state Department of Transportation.

This story was originally published July 30, 2018 at 2:10 PM.