Man charged after passenger suffers life-threatening injuries in Tacoma wreck
A man accused of running a red light and crashing in downtown Tacoma has been charged after his passenger suffered life-threatening injuries, according to court records.
The 27-year-old pleaded not guilty at arraignment Monday to vehicular assault and was released on his own recognizance.
The passenger had been hanging out the window and hit his head on an electrical box when the wreck happened early Sunday at Broadway and South Ninth Street, witnesses told investigators.
Charging papers made these allegations about what happened:
The driver and passenger were at a bar on St. Helens Avenue about 1:30 a.m.
There was a fight, and they left and drove off.
“Witnesses said the passenger was hanging out the passenger side window yelling and possibly throwing beer bottles at vehicles and pedestrians,” the declaration for determination of probable cause said. “They said the vehicle was going about 50-60 mph when the driver ran the red light, went straight through the intersection and jumped the curb, crashing into a large boulder.”
The passenger looked like he hit his head on an electrical box when the vehicle went onto the sidewalk, the witnesses said.
He was taken to the hospital with a skull fracture that was life-threatening. Hospital staff told police he was intubated and was not responsive in the Intensive Care Unit.
The driver was also taken to the hospital.
He’d been drinking, he allegedly told police, and didn’t know if he’d smoked marijuana. He said he’d gotten into a fight, left, and didn’t remember what happened after that.
