Man dies after truck veers off road, collides with pole in Pierce County parking lot
A pickup crashed into a pole Tuesday in the Ace Hardware parking lot near 112th Street South and Pacific Avenue South in Parkland, killing the driver, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies received a call at 10:47 a.m. about a truck traveling at a high speed eastbound on 112th Street South, Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Carly Cappetto told The News Tribune via phone. The truck passed through the intersection of Pacific Avenue South and 112th Street South, then crossed through the westbound lanes of traffic without hitting any cars. It then veered into the parking lot, still at a high speed, and hit a light pole, she said.
The truck “spun out several times before the vehicle came to a stop,” Cappetto told the News Tribune. When Central Pierce Fire & Rescue personnel arrived, the 76-year-old male driver was pronounced dead. He was trapped inside the vehicle and had to be extricated, according to Cappetto.
Investigators from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department are on scene trying to piece together what happened and what caused the collision, Cappetto said. The Sheriff’s Department was trying to reach the driver’s family to notify them of the collision when Cappetto spoke with The News Tribune at about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday.
The call initially came in as an incident involving a reckless vehicle in a parking lot, but investigators are now investigating it as a medical emergency because they can’t see any skid marks or signs that the driver tried to slam on the brakes. The cause of death will be officially determined by the Pierce County Medical Examiner.
No one else was in the vehicle, and no one else was hurt, according to Cappetto.
This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 2:05 PM.
