Officials identify Puyallup woman fatally struck by oncoming traffic on state Route 167

A woman who was struck and killed by a pickup on state Route 167 in Puyallup last week was identified Wednesday.

Maria Vargas Benitez, 21, died of multiple blunt force injuries Dec. 20, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release. Benitez was a Puyallup resident. The office ruled her death an accident.

Washington State Patrol troopers said the woman was struck on northbound state Route 167 at 20th Street Northwest after she walked into traffic from the right shoulder. A black Dodge truck traveling in the right lane hit Benitez.

Troopers said the woman died at the scene.

The driver of the pickup did not have time to avoid hitting the woman, trooper Robert Reyer said.

This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 10:34 AM.

Peter Talbot

The News Tribune

Peter Talbot is a criminal justice reporter for The News Tribune. He started with the newspaper in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C. He also interned for the Oregonian and the Tampa Bay Times. Support my work with a digital subscription