Pierce County seeing record number of car crash deaths
PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - Pierce County is seeing the highest number of car crash-related deaths this year in comparison to the last decade.
It is a morbid statistic. So far this year, there have been more than 30 deaths related to fatal car crashes. This number includes both car versus car, and car versus pedestrian incidents.
In comparison, Pierce County had 24 total car crash deaths in 2020. The Pierce County Sheriff provided FOX 13 News numbers, which date back to 2011.
Looking at the last decade of statistics, 2021 has the most fatal collisions on record in the county, and there is still another month and a half left.
"There’s a constant ache, a constant pain, an emptiness that will never go away because my son is dead and I hope no one has to feel this. I would not wish this pain on my worst enemy," said Jani Mitchell.
These numbers directly affect Mitchell. In April, someone hit and killed her 29-year-old son, Joshua Perry, with their car and kept driving.
"There are no real words that can describe the suffocating pain that I feel every day," said Mitchell.
It has been about six months since the incident, and Mitchell still has no answers as to who killed her son.
"It’s infuriating and it’s heartbreaking," she said.
If you have information or know anything that can help identify the suspect, use the P3 Tips app on your smartphone that you can download for free to submit the information to Crime Stoppers of Tacoma-Pierce County, or call the hotline at 1-800-222-tips(8477). It’s anonymous and you’ll get a cash reward of up to $1,000 if your tip helps lead to an arrest.
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