A 21-year-old man drove off a Pierce County road at a high speed early Sunday morning near Roy, rolling the vehicle and killing a man in the passenger seat, according to the Sheriff's Department.
The driver is suspected to have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Pierce County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss said. The driver was hospitalized, and he is expected to be charged with vehicular homicide. The man killed in the crash has not been publicly identified. He was 19 years old.
The wreck occurred about six miles east of Roy, near the intersection of 304th Street East and 8th Avenue South at about 1:50 a.m. Moss said the driver was in a two-door coupe traveling west on 304th Street when he went off the road to the south, and the vehicle rolled several times.
A deputy who responded to the scene said that based on the damage to the car, the driver was going at an "incredibly reckless" speed before the crash occurred, according to Moss. Deputies said the speed limit on the road is 35 mph.
The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, Moss said. The driver was transported to an area hospital, and his blood was drawn for toxicology testing.
