PIERCE COUNTY, WA — A woman suspected of DUI was arrested following a crash early Saturday in Gig Harbor that fatally injured a motorcyclist, according to FOX 13 Seattle.
Washington State Patrol troopers were called to the scene on State Route 16 at Rosedale Street Northwest, at about 1:00 a.m.
A preliminary investigation found that the suspect, 54-year-old Mecca Berkins, of Federal Way, was driving westbound in the eastbound lanes of the highway. At one point, her vehicle collided head-on with a motorcycle operated by the victim, Alicia Perrin, 30, of Shelton. The motorcycle came to a rest in the median while the car arrived at a stop in the right shoulder facing the opposite direction.
First responders pronounced the female rider deceased at the scene. Officials said she was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
The wrong-way driver, who is believed to have been impaired by alcohol or drugs, was transported to a local hospital with unspecified injuries. She has since been charged with vehicular homicide.
A section of the eastbound highway was shut down for nearly six hours during the emergency response and investigation.
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