Woman sitting on curb hit by vehicle at Lake Tahoe - driver arrested, victim airlifted

STATELINE, Nev. - One woman was airlifted to Reno after being struck by a vehicle on Lake Parkway on Saturday evening.

At approximately 9:43 p.m., multiple calls to the 9-1-1 system were received. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) responded to the report of a person being struck by a truck near the road's intersection with Stateline Avenue behind Harvey's Lake Tahoe during the Robert Plant-Alison Kraus concert. Several bystanders had rushed to assist after the collision.

Upon arrival, DCSO found a woman laying on her back near the eastbound shoulder of the road. They called for paramedics and she was airlifted to Renown Medical Center in Reno with broken bones and unknown internal injuries.

The victim and her husband were sitting on the curb on Lake Parkway, listening to the concert when she was struck by a Chevy Colorado. The truck stopped about ten feet away where it had hit a Toyota Camry, its tire inside the car's passenger window.

The Camry was unoccupied and parked legally on the shoulder of Lake Parkway's eastbound travel lane according to DCSO.

The front left of the Colorado sustained major damage and was pinned against a tree. The driver was not injured and claimed he had fallen asleep at the wheel while driving westbound on the parkway. The vehicle had traveled left of center into the eastbound lane, hitting the victim, and then the Camry according to the DCSO report.

The truck's driver, William Peterson, stated he had taken prescription drugs that had affected his driving. At the time, DCSO found he had a nationwide felony warrant out of the Rohnert Park Police Department in California for grand larceny.

He was placed under arrest at the scene and reportedly fell asleep while in the patrol car, telling deputies he hadn't slept in two days. Blood alcohol tests conducted in the jail show zero percent alcohol in his system.

He was arrested for DUI causing substantial bodily harm, the felony warrant, driving left of center, and having no vehicle insurance.