Jessica J. Rios, 23, of Rochester, and Miguel Salinas, 31, of Lakewood, were traveling in this 1998 GMC pickup on state Route 512 when it was hit by a wrong-way driver on New Year's Day morning.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A Rochester woman was injured early yesterday morning in a head-on crash blamed on a wrong-way drunken driver in Pierce County.
Jessica J. Rios, 23, of Rochester, was a passenger in a 1998 GMC pickup truck traveling westbound on state Route 512 east of Lakewood.
A 36-year-old Puyallup man had been driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of state Route 512 for about three miles before his 2003 Chevrolet pickup collided with the GMC near Portland Avenue, according to the Washington State Patrol.
It happened about 5:30 a.m. Both trucks were demolished.
Responding troopers concluded Benjamin D. Cabral, 36, of Puyallup, was under the influence of alcohol. Cabral was arrested for vehicular assault.
Rios was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital. Her injuries were described as very minor. She was discharged yesterday.
“I know she was very, very lucky as far as injuries go,” Trooper Guy Gill said this morning.
The driver of the truck Rios was in, Miguel Salinas, 31, of Lakewood, was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma. His injuries were described as serious as were Cabral’s.
Both men are expected to survive, according to the state patrol.
The driver of this 2003 Chevrolet pickup was arrested for driving under the influence.
“A Rochester woman was injured early yesterday morning in a head-on crash blamed on a wrong-way drunken driver in Pierce County.” Jesus Christ. Drinking and driving should be even more severe than it is.