Driver crashes into pole on highway near Puyallup. Traffic backed up Thursday afternoon

Traffic is backed up on westbound state Route 512 near Puyallup after a driver crashed their car into a pole on Thursday.

The driver was driving their black passenger car west near Meridian when it drove off the roadway onto the right shoulder and struck a light pole. The car then came to rest on a ditch at around 12 p.m., Washington State Patrol Trooper John Dattilo told The News Tribune.

The driver was semi-responsive to troopers and his injuries were not extensive. He was taken to an area hospital. It is suspected that the driver was possibly intoxicated, but that is not confirmed, he said.

The traffic on westbound state Route 512 is backed up and will remain that way for at least another hour or so. The two right lanes are blocked as the investigation continues, Dattilo said.