Driver killed after being hit by suspected drunken driver in Milton identified
A man who died after his car was struck by a suspected drunken driver in Milton has been identified.
Melvin Dale Miller, 68, of Auburn, was killed July 9 in the 7900 block of Pacific Highway East.
Pierce County prosecutors have charged the suspected drunken driver, 22-year-old Nicholas Louis Tavarozzi, with vehcular homicide. He is being held on $250,000 bail.
Police say Miller was turning left out of a parking lot when Tavarozzi hit him. Witnesses said Tavarozzi was going “extremely fast,” according to charging papers.
When officers arrived, Miller’s vehicle was in the center turn lane, and Tavarozzi’s vehicle was part-way up a nearby embankment.
Tavarozzi smelled of alcohol and admitted to having a few beers that morning, records say.
A sergeant at the scene recognized Tavarozzi because he’d pulled him over about 30 to 45 minutes before and told him to slow down and to fix his expired registration.
Miller was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tavarozzi was taken to an area hospital to be treated for a possible fracture to his right ankle, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver, prosecutors wrote in charging papers. He refused medical treatment and was booked into jail.
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 9:28 AM.
