Pierce County sheriff's deputy injured, extricated from patrol car after hit head-on by pickup

PARKLAND, Wash. -- A Pierce County sheriff's deputy was extricated from his patrol car and rushed to the hospital Tuesday after a pickup truck crossed the double lines and hit his vehicle head-on, sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer said.

The injured 34-year-old deputy was "alert and talking" as he was being extricated from the crushed car, Troyer said. The sheriff's office said the deputy serves as a school resource officer with the Bethel School District.

Troyer later said the deputy suffered a blown-out knee, a concussion and lacerations.

And Central Pierce Fire & Rescue tweeted this:

The truck "hit him at full speed ... with no braking" and rode up on the top of the patrol car, Troyer said, adding that icy road conditions likely "played a role in this."

The driver of the pickup was "banged up, scratched and "bruised" and being cooperative with investigators, he said.

The accident occurred in the 1600 block of Tule Lake Road South in Parkland.

"They both were very lucky -- it could have been a lot worse," Troyer said.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department later tweeted this, blaming the accident on road conditions and excessive speed.