Car driven by mental health patient hits Puyallup hospital employee

A driver suffering from a mental health issue hit and injured an employee arriving for work Friday morning at Good Samaritan Behavioral Health in Puyallup, police said.

“The driver was having some type of mental health issue prior to the collision and was driving erratically in the parking lot, aiming at some of the employees as they came to work,” police Capt. Scott Engle said.

It was unclear how the patient, a 30-year-old Fife woman, obtained the vehicle about 7:20 a.m.

Two employees were able to get out of the way. A 49-year-old woman was hit and taken to a hospital. She was expected to survive.

When police arrived the patient was sitting in the car after hitting a pole. She was taken into custody on suspicion of first-degree assault.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 8:20 AM with the headline "Car driven by mental health patient hits Puyallup hospital employee."