Man killed when truck tumbled 300 feet down cliff near Carbonado has been identified
Pierce County prosecutors on Monday charged a suspected drunken driver whose truck rolled 300 feet down a cliff east of Carbonado, killing his passenger.
The passenger was identified as Sullivan Black, 24, of Seattle.
He allegedly met Allen Jones, 20, at a bonfire Friday night and asked for a ride down dark forest roads.
Jones agreed and the two men climbed into his 1974 Ford truck.
They drove about three miles down National Forest Road 7810 off the Carbon River/Fairfax Forest Reserve before Jones turned around and heading back to the bonfire.
When Jones approached a sharp curve, he told Pierce County sheriff’s deputies he hit his brakes hard and the truck’s tires slid on gravel and he lost control of the vehicle.
He over-corrected the steering wheel and the truck went off the edge of the cliff, rolling about 10 times before it landed 300 feet below, pinned against a tree stump.
Black was unconscious after the crash.
Jones crawled over him, climbed the hillside and ran to his girlfriend’s car before driving to a fire station in nearby Wilkeson for help, according to charging papers.
Deputies responded to both the fire station and the cliffside.
After noticing Jones smelled like alcohol and had red, watery eyes, deputies asked him to perform a sobriety test.
Jones admitted to having four beers that night, records say.
He was arrested and booked into Pierce County Jail.
Deputies and firefighters found the truck pinned against the cliff and Black hanging partially out of the window, breathing but non-responsive.
It took about 20 rescuers more than an hour to rig lines, lower equipment, cut off the truck’s roof and pull Black out.
He was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died.
On Monday, prosecutors charged Jones with vehicular homicide.
A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf and he was released on his own recognizance.
This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 9:30 AM.
