Man killed after truck tumbled 300 feet down cliff near Carbonado
A 24-year-old man died after the truck he was riding in rolled 300 feet down a cliff near Carbonado before being pinned against a tree.
The victim has not been identified
The driver, a 20-year-old man, was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of vehicular homicide.
Investigators believe alcohol caused the crash, which occurred just before 11 p.m. Friday along National Forest Road 7810 off the Carbon River/Fairfax Forest Reserve east of Carbonado.
A 1974 Ford truck rolled at least 10 times after the driver lost control, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
The passenger was unconscious and trapped inside the truck so the driver crawled out and went to get help.
More than 20 people from a search and rescue team and several fire departments used high-angle ropes to rig lines, lower rescue equipment and climb in the darkness to reach the passenger.
After more than an hour, rescuers were able to cut off the roof of the truck and provide medical aid to the passenger.
He was then given an IV and secured to a litter before being hauled 300 feet up to a waiting ambulance, which drove him to a nearby elementary school so he could be airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
The passenger died at the hospital early Saturday morning.
Prosecutors are reviewing criminal charges against the driver.
This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 11:00 AM.
