Drunk driver wraps pickup around semi’s bumper south of Kennewick

A drunk driver hit a moving semi truck so hard Wednesday, it took crews two hours to pull the wreckage apart.

The crash happened just after 6 a.m. near Coffin Road about 8 miles south of Kennewick on Interstate 82/Highway 395.

Tyler Zlatich, 33, of Kennewick, was intoxicated as he headed toward the Tri-Cities and slammed into the back of the semi truck and tractor, said Trooper Chris Thorson with the Washington State Patrol.

The force of the collision wrapped the front of Zlatich’s pickup around the back safety bar of the semi’s trailer.

Investigators believe he was going normal highway speeds at the time. Still, it took tow crews two hours to pull Zlatich’s Ford F-150 off the trailer’s safety bar.

Zlatich suffered some bruises, but wasn’t taken to the hospital. He was booked into the Benton County jail for DUI.

This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 5:22 PM.