Wednesday afternoon crashes shut down southbound I-5 near Olympia

Traffic on Interstate 5 near Lacey was backed up into Pierce County late Wednesday afternoon after back-to-back crashes shut down all southbound lanes, according to Washington State Department of Transportation.

As of 5 p.m., all southbound traffic was still blocked near milepost 109 and drivers were being detoured off the freeway and onto Martin Way. Washington State Patrol estimated that the scene wouldn’t be cleared until well after rush hour.

The trouble started when a tractor-trailer jackknifed near milepost 105 near Eastside Street Southeast about 1:30 p.m., blocking two lanes. State Patrol tweeted that no one was injured in that crash which backed up traffic into Lacey.

Once that crash had cleared, however, there was another crash on I-5 southbound near milepost 109 at about 2:40 p.m. that blocked all lanes.

According to State Patrol, that crash involved three tractor-trailers and a box truck. The agency initially said serious injuries were reported but those were later downgraded to not serious or life-threatening injuries.

Four people were taken to the hospital, according to Lacey Fire District 3.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

This story was originally published December 12, 2018 at 1:57 PM.