Crime & Safety
Puyallup Woman Was Passenger Injured In SUV Crash At Evans Creek Off-Road Park
Andrea Vail, 45, was ejected when an SUV plunged 1,000 feet off a cliff at the Evans Creek Off-Road Vehicle Park Saturday.
PUYALLUP, WA - A Puyallup woman was the passenger critically injured Saturday when a Jeep plunged off a 1,000-foot cliff at the Evans Creek Off-Road Vehicle Park in the wilderness near Mount Rainier National Park. Andrea Vail, 45, was thrown from the vehicle when it crashed, and spent several hours clinging to a hillside while rescue crews tried to reach her. The driver of the vehicle, Patrick Stalder, 46, of Graham, died in the crash.
Vail's sister, Krista Bechtold, has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to pay for her medical care. According to Harborview Medical Center, Vail was in serious condition in the intensive care unit as of Tuesday morning.
According to the Pierce Count Sheriff's Office, deputies received a 911 call around 5 p.m. Saturday reporting that a Jeep had gone over a cliff at Evans Creek. At the scene, deputies located Vail about 250 down the cliff side; several bystanders had already come to her aid. The Jeep and Stalder were another 300 feet down the cliff.
Find out what's happening in Puyallupfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A rescue team comprised of the Pierce County Search & Rescue Team, East Pierce Fire medics, volunteers on ATVs, Tacoma Mountain Rescue SAR Volunteers, park rangers, and a medical aid helicopter from Airlift Northwest responded to rescue Vail. After about 7 hours on the cliff, Vail was placed in the back of a truck and taken to an airfield in Wilkenson where she was flown by helicopter to Harborview.
According to Vail's family, the wheels of the Jeep slipped, which caused it to tumble over the cliff. Vail was seriously injured and had to have her spleen removed at the hospital; she also has a broken arm and pelvis.
Find out what's happening in Puyallupfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
But there is hope that Vail's condition is improving, according to Krista Bechtold.
"Fortunately, there are no head injuries and she understands what is going on," she wrote on the fundraiser page. "She was even able to communicate with us a bit on Sunday afternoon and in true Andrea fashion, she flipped us the bird. Haha ..."
Images via GoFundMe, Pierce County Sheriff
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.