Three people were hospitalized early Sunday after a man suspected of driving under the influence struck a stopped Washington State Patrol car along Interstate 5 near Highway 516, according to troopers.
Around 4:30 a.m., a trooper in an unmarked Ford Explorer stopped to help a driver in a disabled Acura TL that was still in the HOV lane, near Des Moines. The Ford had its emergency lights on, according to troopers. A southbound Honda Civic struck the trooper's SUV, pushing it into the Acura.
The Honda driver and two passengers were injured and taken to Harborview Medical Center; one of the passengers was injured seriously, according to the State Patrol. The trooper and two teenage girls from the disabled vehicle were not in their cars at the time of the collision and were not injured.
The three vehicles came to a stop in the freeway, blocking the road for almost four hours. The shoulder there is not quite wide enough for a car, based on a photo from the Washington State Patrol.
The driver of the Honda, a 21-year-old man from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was expected to be booked into jail for investigation of vehicular assault and driving under the influence.
© 2026 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
