Distracted Driver Seriously Injures Woman Pumping Gas at 76 Station in Lakewood

A woman pumping gas at a 76 station in Lakewood was seriously injured by a 23-year-old Auburn man who veered off the road and struck her minivan with a pickup truck, according to Lakewood Police Lt. Dave Guttu.

Distracted by his phone while in a heated argument with his mother, police said Yoni Valencia swerved to avoid hitting a stopped car at the intersection of 108th Street and Bridgeport Way around 7:30 p.m. But in the process, he drove over a sidewalk, through a landscaped area, struck a gas pump then collided with the 54-year-old Tacoma woman's minivan that hit her.

The woman's vehicle pushed then pinned a part of her body against the island where the gas pumps are located, according to a story in the Tacoma News Tribune. Charging documents state the accident nearly cut through her right foot.

Authorities said the suspect tried to escape but was apprehended and identified by numerous witnesses. Pierce County prosecutors charged Valencia with felony hit and run, vehicular assault, suspended drivers license and obstructing a police officer, according to charging documents. He was expected to be arraigned earlier this afternoon in Pierce County Superior Court.

The victim's bleeding was stabilized by an Army medic who was on the scene and had recently returned from Iraq, Guttu said. He tended to the woman until paramedics arrived, The TNT reported.

There was no sign of drugs or alcohol related in the accident.

"She was life-flighted to Harborview (Medical Center in Seattle) for her leg and to check for other injuries," Guttu said.