PUYALLUP, Wash. — An 11-year-old girl was seriously injured Friday night when a suspected drunken driver slammed head-on into a vehicle in which she was a passenger, police said.
Police said the two-vehicle collision happened on Shaw Road at around 9:00 p.m.
A southbound Acura struck a vehicle carrying a family of five northbound on Shaw Road.
The Acura crossed over the center line and hit the car head-on, according to police.
Police say an 11-year-old girl in the rear seat of the vehicle that was hit -- suffered significant and serious head injuries. The girl is a student at Shaw Road Elementary School, according to police, and was transported to a Tacoma-area hospital -- where she was still receiving treatment for injuries on Saturday afternoon.
A 15-year-old girl was also injured and taken to a Tacoma-area hospital, officials said. Police say she was released from the hospital by Saturday afternoon.
Authorities closed Highlands Boulevard and 12th Avenue Southeast for the investigation, allowing police to examine the crash site. The road was re-opened after an examination was conducted.
The DUI driver was arrested for vehicular assault, according to police. The driver of the causing vehicle told police he had been drinking at a local bar prior to the crash.
Police at the scene said the uninjured driver's impairment at the scene was 'obvious.'
Officials say the drunk driver attempted to leave the scene after the crash, but was unable 'due to the damage to his car.'
Police will continue to investigate the crash.
KIRO 7 will update this story with new information as it comes in.
KIRO
