PARKLAND, Wash. — A Spanaway man has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run that left a 69-year-old Parkland woman dead.
Pierce County deputies arrested 30-year-old Daniel Fullerton, who they believe was the driver who crashed a van into a Ford Escape.
Fullerton appeared in court Monday afternoon and was charged with failure to remain at an accident scene resulting in death, according to court documents from Pierce County.
The driver of the Escape was identified as 69-year-old Patricia Williamson, who died from her injuries. Williamson lived a few blocks from the crash site.
Williamson was a paraeducator at the Hewins Early Learning Center with the Franklin Pierce School District, according to district officials.
The FPSD sent the below statement:
“Tricia was an amazing person with a huge heart for kids. She modeled this in schools as well as at home as she played a caring role for many in her midst. She had a calm and comforting demeanor that established trust and care among those who she interacted with. She will be sorely missed by students, staff, families and the broader Franklin Pierce community”.
The district also sent a letter home to families alerting them.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department said just before 9 p.m. on Saturday, Fullerton was driving a 1996 Ford Econoline when he collided with Williamson's Ford Escape at 138th Street South and Yakima Avenue in Parkland.
Witnesses who stopped at the scene say they saw Fullerton on his phone and they thought he was calling 911. But another van arrived shortly after and Fullerton got into it and left, court documents said.
Fullerton's mother then took him to the hospital on Sunday "because he was complaining of a headache after possibly being involved in a collision," court documents said. She told deputies his van was missing.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Pierce County Traffic Deputies.