Man on sidewalk hit, killed by DUI suspect in Puyallup

PUYALLUP, Wash. — A man suspected of driving under the influence is believed to have hit and killed a man who was walking on a Puyallup sidewalk Tuesday morning.

At 9:19 a.m., Puyallup Police officers and Central Pierce Fire and Rescue units were dispatched to a report of a truck that had hit the Walgreens on South Meridian Street.

As first responders were on their way, they were told that dispatchers had received reports that a passenger was thrown out of the truck just before it hit the building. The victim was said to be down on the east side of South Meridian.

Police and medics arrived to find a severely hurt, unconscious man in a flowerbed. Though medics tried to save him, he died from his injuries.

Officers questioned the driver, a 41-year-old Puyallup man, and arrested him for investigation of DUI and vehicular homicide.

Investigators determined that the victim had not been a passenger in the suspect’s truck. He had been walking north on a sidewalk along South Meridian when a pickup driven by the suspect hit him from behind, according to Puyallup Police.

The driver then crossed all lanes of South Meridian and struck the Walgreens.

The man was booked into the Pierce County Jail.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office will work with investigators to identify the victim.

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