90 mph crash closes Pierce County highway and injures toddler, PCSO says
A driver who was allegedly driving recklessly while intoxicated on the Key Peninsula is in custody after crashing into another vehicle and injuring at least one person, a toddler, per the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies received calls about a “black SUV that was driving recklessly kind of all over the Key Peninsula Highway area” at 10:17 a.m. on Oct. 1, sheriff’s office spokesperson Carly Cappetto said. Callers alleged the vehicle was going 90 miles an hour and passing into oncoming traffic.
The vehicle reportedly crashed into some bushes in Key Center, and the driver, in his 40s, was seen “stumbling outside of the vehicle” and looking around before getting back into his car and driving off again, she continued. The crash left the vehicle with “significant damage” and a flat tire, she said.
He also had a female passenger with him. No one was injured in that collision, according to Cappetto.
The SUV continued to drive recklessly down Key Peninsula Highway Northwest and crashed into another vehicle in the 9700 block of the road at 10:32 a.m., she said. The vehicle that was hit had two occupants, a driver and a toddler.
The toddler reportedly suffered a broken bone, and “it sounds like there were injuries kind of all around,” Cappetto said. The driver who was allegedly driving recklessly and “extremely intoxicated” is in custody, and deputies obtained a warrant for a blood sample, she said.
The road was closed down in both directions during the investigation.
This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 3:30 PM.
