Four Injured After Single-Vehicle Crash on Sumner-Buckley Highway

Four people were taken to the hospital early Sunday morning after a vehicle traveling on Sumner-Buckley Highway left the roadway, struck a utility pole and landed in a ditch.

The crash happened just after midnight Sunday in the 22700 block of Sumner-Buckley Highway between Buckley and Bonney Lake. According to a news release from East Pierce Fire & Rescue, the car traveled approximately 150 feet before coming to a stop. Two occupants were thrown from the vehicle; one sustained life-threatening injuries and the other was seriously hurt.

The people who remained inside the car had minor injuries. Not all the vehicle's occupants were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, fire officials said.

First responders performed a "rapid extrication" on the most seriously injured person because overhead power lines had shifted and were about to fall on the patient and crew. Downed power lines caused a small fire and led to power outages throughout the Bonney Lake and Buckley area, fire officials said. 

The highway was closed for approximately two hours during the operation. The Pierce County Sheriff's Office is investigating the cause of the collision.