Boater found hurt near Tacoma Narrows Bridge after running aground, hitting tree
A person was found with minor injuries Friday morning on a fishing boat that Pierce County sheriff’s deputies say ran aground sometime Thursday evening south of the Narrows Bridge and struck a tree.
Gig Harbor Fire & Rescue crews responded shortly before 7 a.m. near the Tacoma Narrows Park. Tom Wescott, a spokesperson for the fire department, said a Peninsula Metropolitan Park District employee spotted a light on the shore and then found a boater.
There were obvious signs that the vessel had struck a tree, according to Wescott. Police scanner traffic indicated that the 911 caller said it was a 20-foot blue-and-white fishing boat.
Wescott would not confirm whether the boater was a man or a woman or the person’s age, citing health privacy laws. He said the person was an adult.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office responded, Wescott said, and the U.S. Coast Guard was contacted. Deputy Steven Cloninger said the boater was transported to a hospital with minor injuries.
The 911 caller reported that the boater was intoxicated, according to police scanner traffic, but Cloninger said he did not have any information about signs of impairment.
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 12:44 PM.
