Troopers seek help identifying hit-and-run driver that caused head-on wreck on SR-16
Washington State Patrol is asking for help identifying a driver involved in a hit-and-run crash near Gig Harbor that left a 73-year-old woman with serious injuries.
The agency said Thursday the man was driving a gray Ford F350 pickup Wednesday that was reported stolen from Tacoma Mall.
About 12:59 p.m., the truck was involved in a head-on collision with a Toyota Highlander on state Route 16 near Route 302. The woman driving the Highlander was badly hurt. The pickup driver then ran toward Route 302, troopers said.
Troopers said the man is white and in his late 30s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, heavy-set with brown, curly hair and a short beard.
The State Patrol is also seeking information about another person. Shortly after the collision, a woman driving a white Ford Ranger arrived at the scene. She told witnesses the hit-and-run driver was her boyfriend. She gathered information about his whereabouts then left the scene. The agency believes the Ranger is associated with the stolen Ford F350.
The woman driving the Ranger is a white female in her 30s with long, dark hair with purple ends, troopers said.
In Washington, hit and run is a class C felony if it results in another person’s injury. Drivers involved in an accident where injury or death occurs are required by law to offer assistance to the injured person, including offering to transport them to the hospital. The driver must also exchange their name, address, insurance and driver’s license information. A person guilty of that level of hit and run can face penalties of up to 5 years in jail and up to a $10,000 fine.
If you have information on the people involved in Wednesday’s wreck, the state patrol urges you to contact detective Kevin Pratt at 253-538-3173.
