Woman killed in suspected DUI crash in Pierce County

SUMNER, Wash. — The driver suspected of causing a horrific three-car crash in Sumner could face vehicular homicide and vehicular assault charges.

Detectives believe the 61-year-old man driving the Ford pickup truck involved in the crash may have been driving under the influence when he rear-ended another car Tuesday night.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office said Margo Sabater, 65, died in the crash. Officials said her husband is in the hospital in serious condition.

Officials said the couple was stopped on Sumner Tapps Highway East, waiting to make a left turn onto 162nd Avenue East, when they were rear-ended by the truck and pushed into oncoming traffic.

Investigators said a pickup truck driving at a high-rate of speed slammed into the rear-end of a silver vehicle that had stopped to make a left turn. The silver car was then pushed into the opposite lane, where it was struck head-on by a Toyota.

“It’s a dangerous corner, if you’re coming up the hill making a left turn, there’s always lots of traffic coming down the hill and if you have to wait for it, it’s a blind corner,” said Ray Hash, who lives down the road from the crash.

Pierce County Sheriff’s Department detectives said the driver of the truck was going between 45 to 50 miles-per-hour when he ran into the back of the couple’s car, causing it to crash head-on into a blue Toyota that was also going about 45 miles-per-hour.

“We believe that the driver that caused this accident in the pickup truck was impaired. He was taken to the hospital and our deputies did go down and check him out for impairment, but we’re not going to know exactly the depth until toxicology comes back in the future, which could be a couple months,” said Detective Ed Troyer, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Two teenagers riding in the Toyota were hospitalized.

The driver of the truck suspected of causing the crash is also in the hospital. Officials aren’t releasing his name because he hasn’t been arrested or charged

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