Near fatal crash Saturday near Mount Rainier park entrance

A head-on car collision on the Carbon River Forest Reserve Road near the entrance to Mount Rainier State Park resulted in one driver being pinned under his vehicle.

A head-on car collision on the Carbon River Forest Reserve Road near the entrance to Mount Rainier State Park resulted in one driver being pinned under his vehicle.

The crash was reported around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. The force of the crash sent one vehicle off the road and the other, a pickup truck, onto its side.

According to East Pierce Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Pat Beers, the driver of the pickup was partially ejected and pinned under the truck when firefighters arrived.

Firefighters were able to raise the truck off of the driver, and he was transported to an area trauma center with life-threatening injuries. The other occupant of the truck and the driver of the other vehicle reported that they were uninjured and refused treatment.

A witness drove to Wilkenson to call 9-1-1 and report the crash. However, the caller did not stay on the line and first responders had difficulty locating the crash from the original address given.

At the time of press, the cause of the collision was still under investigation by Pierce County Sheriffs. Updates will be provided online when more information becomes available.