2 injured after car drives off overpass near Tacoma and lands on freeway below
Two people were injured overnight Sunday near Tacoma after a car drove off an overpass and landed on the freeway below, according to Washington State Patrol.
The driver, a 21-year-old Tacoma man, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, Trooper Robert Reyer said Sunday. He also faces a vehicular assault charge because his passenger, an 18-year-old Tacoma woman, suffered serious injuries, including a fractured pelvis.
Both were taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma. Incredibly, the injuries weren’t more serious because the falling vehicle landed on its wheels, Reyer said.
About 1:20 a.m. Sunday, the 1999 Volvo sedan was headed toward downtown Tacoma on state Route 509. Troopers say the driver then struck a barrier, went over it and fell from SR 509 to the southbound lanes of Interstate 705.
Trooper Reyer estimated the fall at 40-50 feet.
Southbound I-705 was fully blocked from 1:30 a.m. to 4:10 a.m. Sunday, Reyer said.
This story was originally published January 23, 2022 at 1:54 PM.
