Unconscious Driver Pulled From Car Sinking Into Commencement Bay

TACOMA, WA — A driver is hospitalized, but alive after their car flew off the road and into Commencement Bay midday Friday.

According to Tacoma Police, the car left the road and tumbled into the bay roughly in the 4600 block of Ruston Way. The driver was knocked out during the accident, but bystanders and first responders quickly dove into the water and pulled the unconscious driver to land.

The driver has since been taken to a nearby hospital, but their condition is unknown. Officers say they searched the sinking car for signs of any other passengers, but believe the driver was the only one inside when the vehicle rolled over the edge.

With the driver safely away from the scene, crews then set to work pulling the wreckage from the bay. The Pierce County Sheriff's Department released video showing their dive team attaching tow-lines to the sunken vehicle.

Shortly after, at around 1:20 p.m. the sheriff's department announced that the tow truck had successfully pulled the car from the bay, and that Ruston Way has been reopened to traffic.

The cause of the crash remains unknown.