Suspected drunk driver in head-on collision

by TRAVIS PITTMAN / KING5.com

Posted on November 12, 2009 at 10:25 AM

AUBURN, Wash. – State troopers believe an Idaho man may have been drunk when he collided head-on with a car on State Route 18, sending that driver to the hospital early Thursday morning.

The Washington State Patrol says at about 3:15 a.m., a 2001 Toyota Tacoma was being driven erratically on northbound Interstate 5 near Federal Way. A witness followed the truck as it exited onto SR 18 and then onto Weyerhaeuser Way.

Troopers say the pickup then got back onto SR 18, but was headed eastbound in the westbound lanes, headed down Peasley Canyon toward Auburn. The truck collided head-on with a 1993 Subaru Legacy, driven by a 42-year-old Auburn man.

Both drivers were taken to Harborview Medical Center. The Subaru driver had serious injuries. The driver of the Toyota, a 25-year-old Soda Springs, Idaho man, had minor injuries.

The pickup driver is being investigated for vehicular assault. Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the collision.

All lanes of westbound SR 18 were closed at the scene for about two hours while troopers investigated. Both vehicles were crushed in the accident.