Woman killed in traffic collision in Tacoma is identified by medical examiner
A 64-year-old woman killed in a traffic collision earlier this month in Tacoma after driving into oncoming traffic was identified Monday by the Pierce County medical examiner.
Shirley Barbara Wheeler of Tacoma died April 12 of blunt torso trauma, according to a news release from the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office. Her death was ruled an accident.
The collision occurred about 7:40 a.m. in the city’s South End neighborhood on South Yakima Avenue near South 86th Street.
Tacoma Police Department said the woman might have had a medical emergency on the two-lane road that caused her to drive into the oncoming lane, where she struck another vehicle.
Wheeler was declared dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle she struck, a 34-year-old woman, sustained minor injuries, according to police.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 8:19 AM.
