Emergency crews extricate a passenger from an SUV after a crash Tuesday in Interstate 5 in Chehalis.
One person was seriously injured and a second was cited for driving with no insurance after a crash Tuesday afternoon in Chehalis caused by a blown tire, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The crash was reported at 5:16 p.m. Tuesday at milepost 75 of northbound Interstate 5 in Chehalis.
A 1995 Ford Explorer was heading northbound when its right rear tire blew out, causing the vehicle to strike the concrete barrier in the median between north- and southbound lanes, according to the state patrol.
The SUV then lost the wheel, veered right and rolled across two lanes, coming to rest on a guardrail on the right shoulder.
A second vehicle, a 2009 Nissan Versa, hit the Ford’s wheel in the road.
The driver of the Ford, identified by the state patrol as Yimy A. Escobararriga, 30, of Longview, was cited for driving without insurance. He was not injured. The vehicle was totaled.
Lewis County Fire District 5 and 6 and Chehalis Fire Department crews responded and extricated the driver and a passenger in the SUV, identified by the state patrol as a 27-year-old Longview man, who was seriously injured and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center, according to Fire District 6. The passenger reportedly was in critical condition with serious head injuries.
The driver of the Nissan, identified as a 37-year-old Seattle woman, was not injured. Her vehicle had minor damage.
