Crews hook chains from a tow truck to an overturned semi truck that blocked all southbound lanes of I-5 near Tumwater Wednesday morning.
Crews hook chains from a tow truck to an overturned semi truck that blocked all southbound lanes of I-5 near Tumwater Wednesday morning.
Fire crews roll out a hose as a precaution after an overturned semi truck that blocked all southbound lanes of I-5 traffic started smoking Wednesday morning.
Southbound Interstate 5 was fully blocked at Maytown Wednesday morning.
A multi-vehicle collision on Interstate 5 near Maytown spanned both directions of travel, left a person with non-life threatening injuries and blocked southbound travellers for nearly eight hours.
Images posted on Washington State Department of Transportation’s social media accounts show a semi tractor-trailer flipped on its side, taking up all lanes of southbound traffic and its cargo spilling across the roadway.
According to a Washington State Patrol press release, at about 8:30 a.m., a pickup truck driven by a 30-year-old Rochester woman was travelling on northbound I-5, 2 miles south of Tumwater. It was moving too quickly for the wet conditions, said WSP Public Information Officer Johnna Batiste, and lost control and began hydroplaning. It began to rotate and an approaching semi, driven by a 50-year-old Lynden man, swerved to avoid the truck. The semi then lost control and barged through the center barrier, flipping onto its side. When it came to a rest, it was blocking all southbound lanes of travel.
An approaching FedEx delivery truck struck the tipped trailer. The FedEx driver, a 42-year-old Lacey man was injured, and transported to St. Peters Hospital in Olympia. Batiste said Wednesday morning that the injuries did not appear life threatening.
A fourth vehicle, a car driven by a 25-year-old Olympia man, was southbound when it struck debris from the semi and then a barrier. The driver was uninjured.
The left northbound lane was blocked off, restricting travel to two lanes. According to WSP, the roadway was blocked for 7 hours and 52 minutes, as southbound traffic was re-directed to 93rd Avenue Southwest.
