Teen killed when car hits telephone pole near Puyallup has been identified
A 16-year-old boy killed Wednesday when the car he was riding in struck a telephone pole near Puyallup has been identified.
Ta-Mi-U-Sun Earl, of Graham, was the front passenger in a Honda Accord that lost control about 1:50 p.m. near Pioneer Way East and Stewart Avenue between Tacoma and Puyallup.
The 18-year-old man driving was traveling north on Pioneer Way when he bumped another vehicle and lost control, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
The Honda slid about 200 feet up an embankment and its roof hit a telephone pole.
Investigators say the driver was speeding.
Earl was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and other two passengers, both 17-year-old boys, were taken to area hospitals with unknown injuries.
“We are devastated by the loss of one of our youth,” the Puyallup Tribal Council said in a statement. “We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy in this difficult time.”
This is the second fatal wreck on Pioneer Way East in two weeks.
On March 19, an erratic driver ran a red light at a three-way intersection near Pioneer Way East, Woodland Avenue East and 72nd Avenue East and struck the side of a Toyota Camry, killing 63-year-old Karen Wyciskala.
Anthony Younger, 47, pleaded not guilty to one count of vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault.
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 2:17 PM.
