Politics & Government
UPDATE: Driver Charged With Vehicular Assault, Reckless Endangerment
Darrell Cunningham was arrested on Sunday for suspicions of drunk driving following last Thursday's head-on collision on Wollochet Drive NW, according to court documents.
The Pierce County prosecutors charged Darrell Linn Cunningham of vehicular assault and reckless endangerment on Monday.
According to court documents, Cunningham, 66, was driving home when he crossed the centerline and crashed into another vehicle on Wollochet Drive NW.
The incident, which caused both directions of the road to shut down, occurred on Thursday, Jan. 24.
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Around 6:17 p.m., Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a serious injury two-car collision in the 4600 block of Wollochet Drive NW.
Upon arrival, medics were treating a woman who was ejected from her car upon impact.
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Medics informed the deputy that they had “detected an odor of intoxicants” from Cunningham, who was driving a Volkswagen Jetta.
Cunningham and the woman were both transported to the hospital.
The woman’s husband, who was also in the car, told police that they were traveling eastbound on Wollochet Drive NW when the collision occurred.
The husband, who is partially blind and suffers from pre-existing medical conditions, said he couldn’t remember much about the crash. However, he proceeded to look for his wife, whom he found lying on the ground.
According to court documents, the two vehicles suffered almost identical damages to the left front wheel area. Officials found scrapes and gouges indicating Cunningham’s vehicle had crossed the centerline and struck the victim’s car.
When officials contacted the woman at the hospital, she said she did not see the car and only remembered the crash and sliding across the pavement. The woman suffered serious abrasions and a fractured tailbone.
Cunningham also said he did not remember anything about the collision.
After an evaluation for possible DUI, Cunningham was placed under arrest for vehicular assault.
On Sunday, Jan. 27, Cunningham was released from the hospital and transported to jail.
According to The News Tribune, Cunningham pleaded not guilty to his charges. This was also his second DUI arrest in the last six months.
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