Man killed in Christmas Eve wreck west of Puyallup identified by medical examiner

A 56-year-old man who died last month in a single-vehicle wreck west of Puyallup was identified Tuesday by the Pierce County medical examiner.

Ronald Steve Gallauher of Puyallup died of multiple blunt-force injuries Dec. 24, according to a news release from the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office. The Sheriff’s Department said the crash was reported by a 911 caller at about 6:50 a.m. near Canyon Road East and Pioneer Way East.

Deputies said the caller reported seeing the driver going north on Canyon Road at a high rate of speed. The vehicle failed to negotiate a curve and hit a tree before falling down an embankment.

Gallauher was the only person in the vehicle, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Deputies and Central Pierce Fire & Rescue personnel arrived at the scene, and the man was pronounced dead. Traffic investigators were called out to document the collision.

This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 8:06 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