WA State Patrol trooper hit by driver on SR 512 Sunday morning, agency says

A Washington State Patrol trooper was hit and injured by a passing driver on state Route 512 in Pierce County early Sunday morning, the agency announced.

Around 6 a.m., the trooper had responded to a driver whose vehicle had broken down on westbound SR 512 near Vickery Avenue, Trooper Kameron Watts said.

As the trooper helped to push the vehicle further off the road, he was struck by the passing driver. He was injured and taken to an area hospital, although his injuries were not considered life-threatening, Trooper Watts said.

Trooper Rick Johnson added in a social media post that the causing driver was not impaired, but also was not paying attention, he said.

State Route 512 hasn’t fully reopened, Watts said.

He added that this is the fifth statewide trooper-involved collision since last Wednesday, including Friday night in Tacoma when Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting, 29, died after being hit by a passing driver. She had stopped to investigate a two-vehicle collision, according to State Patrol.