Kent man arrested for DUI accident in Federal Way

Published 10:49 am Thursday, December 17, 2015

Federal Way police arrested a 63-year-old Kent man for a suspected DUI car accident in Federal Way Wednesday evening.

Just before 6 p.m., the man drove his Nissan pickup off the roadway in the 5200 block of Southwest Dash Point Road and struck a power pole.

According to Federal Way police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock, the accident caused significant property damage. Puget Sound Energy and South King Fire and Rescue had to remove wires from the road and vehicle before they could help the driver.

The man’s truck was lodged into several trees and brush. One resident saw the collision and brought a police officer a pair of trimming clippers to cut the branches and tree limbs away. Once the officers and firefighters got to him, they noted the man’s upper body was hanging over the top of the open door and his leg’s appeared to be stuck underneath the dashboard of the truck.

“Once removed by [South King Fire and Rescue], it was suspected that the driver was under the influence of alcohol,” Schrock wrote in an email, adding that the DUI investigation and collision report are still pending.

The suspect was uncooperative once in the ambulance and paramedics said they believed he was intoxicated. The officer also noticed the smell of intoxicants, according to the police report. When asked if he had been drinking, he replied, “I drank, I drank, I drank, I drank.”

He was taken to Harborview Medical Center for possible internal injuries and as a precaution.

The man has a previous DUI conviction from 1997.