A 20-year-old Tacoma woman has died after the car she was riding in left the roadway and struck a utility pole on North Schuster Parkway earlier this month. Precious Star Emily Anita Gonzalez was one of two occupants injured in the September 9, 2026 crash near Chinese Reconciliation Park; she died of her injuries a week later, on September 16. The other occupant survived with serious injuries. Tacoma Police are now investigating the crash as a fatal collision and are working to determine what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway.
According to the Tacoma News Tribune, the vehicle was traveling north on Schuster Parkway when it veered off the road and struck a utility pole, trapping both occupants inside. Tacoma Fire Department crews extricated the two before rushing them to a hospital, and southbound lanes of the parkway were shut down for hours as crews worked the scene. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Gonzalez’s death an accident, listing the cause as blunt force injuries of the head and neck. Tacoma Police spokesperson Shelbie Boyd said the department continues to investigate what led the car to leave the roadway.
